1751 


The  Crisis  of 

KW 

y llie  Deeper  Life 

ByG.P.  PARDINGTON,Ph.D. 


Oak  Street 
UNCLASSIFIED 


CHRISTIAN  ALLIANCE  PUBLISHING  CO. 
361  I Fourteenth  Avenue  - Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


BOOKS  FOR  BIBLE  LOVERS 

The  Inspiration  of  the  Bible. 
VISIONS  AND  VOICES  Charles  Blanchard 

In  simple  straightforward  language  Dr. 
Blanchard  treats  the  internal  and  external  evi- 
dences of  the  full  inspiration  of  the  Scriptures, 
showing  how  indestructible  is  the  foundation  of 
the  Christian  faith.  “The  book  brings  a message 
absolutely  conclusive  and  vital.” — “Tri-County 
Gazette.”  Cloth,  $1.00;  Paper,  socts. 

The  Plan  of  the  Bible. 
RIGHTLY  DIVIDING  THE  WORD  OF 
TRUTH  C.  I.  Scofield 

A book  which  will  untangle  many  perplexities 
and  seeming  contradictions  in  the  Bible  by  show- 
ing the  different  manner  in  which  God  dealt  with 
the  human  race  in  different  ages;  the  difference 
between  Jew,  Gentile,  and  the  Church  'of  God; 
the  different  judgments,  etc.  Paper,  25cts. 

The  Purpose  of  the  Bible. 
REDEMPTION  Kenneth  Mackenzie 

A study  of  redemption  centered  about  the 
chapter  titles:  “The  Need  of  Redemption,”  “The 
Nature  of  Sin/’  “The  Redeemer,”  “The  Process 
of  Redemption,”  “The  Fruits  of  Redemption,” 
“Maintenance  of  the  Life  of  Redemption.” 

Paper,  35cts. 

The  Man  of  the  Bible. 

THE  INCARNATE  SON  OF  GOD 

Henri  de  Vries 

Instructive  and  devotional  studies  on  the  per- 
son of  Christ  which  discusses  some  of  the  ques- 
tions which  arise  in  all  minds;  such  as,  “What 
is  Involved  in  the  Immaculate  Conception?”  “In 
What  Sense  is  Jesus  Christ  the  Son  of  God?” 
“Could  Christ  Commit  Sin?”  Cloth,  $1.50. 

The  Christian  Alliance  Publishing  Co., 
3611  Fourteenth  Ave.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


The  Crisis  of  the 
Deeper  Life 

w* 


Rev.  GEORGE  P.  PARDINGTOH,  Ph.  D. 

Author  of  44 The  Stilt  Small  Voice/0 


Christian  Alliance  Publishing  Co., 
3611  Fourteenth  Ave,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


Copyright,  iqo6 
By  A.  B.  Simpson 


S8 

/7  SI 


To 

My  Parents 

RAYNER  STEVENS  PARDINGTON,  D.D. 
ELIZA  COREY  PARDINGTON 

This  Volume 

Is  Gratefully  and  Affectionately  Inscribed 


j * 


x 


CONTENTS. 


Chapter  I. 

All  in  Christ. 

Chapter  II. 

Newness  of  Life. 

Chapter  III. 

In  the  Wilderness. 

Chapter  IV. 

The  Poison  of  Sin. 

Chapter  V. 

The  Antidote  for  Sin — Holiness 

the  Old  Testament. 

Chapter  VI. 

The  Antidote  for  Sin — Holiness 

the  New  Testament. 

Chapter  VII. 

The  Vision  of  Victory. 

Chapter  VIII. 

The  Realization  of  Victory. 

Chapter  IX. 

The  Law  of  Reckoning. 

Chapter  X. 

The  Life  of  Abiding. 

Chapter  XI. 

The  Broken  Circuit. 

Chapter  XII. 

The  Uplook  and  the  Outlook. 

Chapter  I. 


ALL  IN  CHRIST 

HRISTIANITY  is  not  character, 
but  Christ.”  This  utterance  by 
President  Woodrow  Wilson  of 
Princeton  University,  expresses  at 
once  the  simplest  fact  and  the  pro- 
foundest  philosophy  of  the  Gospel. 
Christianity  presents  a sharp  con- 
trast to  all  other  religions.  For 
example,  take  Buddhism  and  Mohammedan- 
ism. Like  Christianity  they  are  missionary 
religions.  But  as  religious  systems  they  exist 
entirely  apart  from  their  founders.  It  is  true 
that  Buddha  and  Mohammed  are  worshipped 
by  their  respective  devotees ; but  they  have  only 
a historic  relationship  to  the  religions  which 
they  founded.  In  no  wise  is  Buddhism  de- 
pendant upon  Buddha,  nor  Mohammedanism 
upon  Mohammed.  With  Christianity,  how- 
ever, exactly  the  opposite  is  true.  Jesus  Christ 
appeared  in  history,  founded  a religion,  and 
is  worshipped  by  His  followers.  Thus  far 
Christianity  is  like  Buddhism  and  Mohammed- 
anism ; but  at  this  point  the  resemblance  ceases. 


8 


The  Crisis  of 


For  while  Buddha  and  Mohammed  died, 
Jesus  Christ  lives.  Moreover,  Christianity  is 
not  like  other  religions,  merely  a body  of 
teaching,  nor  a round  of  ceremonies;  nor  is 
it  even  a code  of  ethics.  It  has,  indeed,  a body 
of  teaching,  which  is  the  sum  of  revealed  truth ; 
it  has  ceremonial  rites,  which  are  Divine  or- 
dinances ; and  it  has  a system  of  ethics,  which 
is  the  highest  in  the  world.  But  Christianity 
is  more  than  doctrine,  more  than  ordinances, 
more  even  than  morality.  In  fact,  as  the 
term  is  commonly  employed,  Christianity  is 
not  a religion.  It  is  a life.  Its  essential 
element  is  the  vital  union  of  the  soul  with 
God.  Apart  from  the  person  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  not  merely  as  the  historic  Found- 
er, but  as  the  supreme  Fountain  of  a new  life 
of  Divine  knowledge,  love,  and  power,  Christi- 
anity would  exist  only  in  name.  Take  Christ 
from  Christianity,  and  it  would  descend  to  the 
level  of  one  of  the  religions  of  the  world. 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  sum  of  all  doctrine,  the 
source  of  all  virtue  and  the  spring  of  all  service. 
Hence,  it  is  true  that  Christianity  is  Christ 
and  Christ  is  Christianity. 

Writing  on  this  very  point,  in  his  little  hand- 
book on  the  Evidences  of  Christianity , Canon 
Row,  of  England,  says:  “Christianity  differs 


The  Deeper  Life 


9 


from  every  other  known  religion  in  the  fact 
that  it  is  based  on  the  person  of  its  Founder. 
He  is  the  sole  foundation  on  which  the  church 
rests;  the  principle  of  its  unity;  the  inspiring 
motive  to  holiness;  the  spiritual  power  which 
makes  the  Christian  strong  in  the  discharge 
of  every  duty;  in  a word,  Jesus  Christ  may 
be  said  to  constitute  Christianity  itself.  In 
proof  of  this,  I say,  read  your  New  Testaments, 
and  you  will  see  that  what  I say  is  true.  The 
Revised  Version  (my  edition)  consists  of  one 
hundred  and  ninety-four  pages,  and  there  are 
not  five  in  which  the  sacred  name  does  not 
occur,  or  is  not  directly  alluded  to,  and  in 
some  it  occurs  twenty  times.  Of  all  the  re- 
ligions now  existing  in  the  world,  Buddhism 
is  said  to  number  four  hundred  million,  and 
Mohammedanism,  over  one  hundred  and 
twenty  million  votaries ; yet  if  we  were  to  strike 
the  person  of  Sakya  Mundi,*  the  founder  of 
Buddhism,  and  that  of  Mohammed,  of  Moham- 
medanism, out  of  their  respective  systems,  their 
religions,  as  systems  of  religion,  would  remain 
intact.  The  same  is  true  of  Brahmanism,  Con- 
fucianism, Zoroastrianism,  and  every  other  re- 
ligion of  the  past  or  present.  It  is  true  even 
of  Judaism,  for  the  person  of  Moses  might  be 
removed  out  of  it,  but  the  system  would  remain 


IO 


The  Crisis  of 


intact.  All  these  religions  have  had  founders, 
but  they  have  not  one  of  them  erected  their 
systems  on  their  own  persons.  But  Christian- 
ity is  so  based  on  the  person  of  its  Founder 
that  if  we  remove  every  reference  to  Jesus 
Christ  out  of  the  New  Testament,  the  brief 
remainder  becomes  a mass  of  shapeless  ruins.” 
As  a life,  Christianity  may  be  defined  as  the 
union  of  the  soul  with  Christ.  This  sublime 
truth  finds  symbolical  representation  and  ex- 
plicit statement  in  the  New  Testament. 

There  are  five  symbolic  representations  of 
this  vital  relationship: 

I.  The  Architectural  figure ; or  the  relation 
existing  between  the  foundation  and  the  build- 
ing. 

“ And  are  built  upon  the  foundation  of  the 
apostles  and  prophets,  Jesus  Christ  Himself 
being  the  chief  corner-stone ; 

“In  whom  all  the  building  fitly  framed  to- 
gether groweth  unto  a holy  temple  in  the  Lord : 
“In  whom  ye  are  also  builded  together  for  a 
habitation  of  God  through  the  Spirit”  (Ephesi- 
ans ii.  20-22.) 

“Rooted  and  built  up  in  Him  and  established 
in  the  faith,  as  ye  have  been  taught,  abounding 
therein  with  thanksgiving.”  (Colossians  ii.  7.) 
“To  whom  coming  as  unto  a living  stone* 


The  Deeper  Life  n 

disallowed  indeed  of  men,  but  chosen  of  God 
and  precious, 

“Ye  also,  as  lively  stones,  are  built  up  a 
spiritual  house,  an  holy  priesthood,  to  offer 
up  spiritual  sacrifices,  acceptable  to  God  by 
Jesus  Christ.”  (I.  Peter  ii.  4,  5.) 

With  these  passages  the  reader  may  also 
compare  Psalm  cxviii.  22,  and  Isaiah  xxviii. 
16. 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  foundation ; and  His  peo- 
ple are  the  building.  The  key  which  inter- 
prets the  spiritual  meaning  of  this  symbol  is 
Inhabitation,  or  Indwelling.  The  occupant  of 
the  temple  of  believers  is  the  Holy  Spirit. 

“And  what  agreement  hath  the  temple  of 
God  with  idols?  For  ye  are  the  temple  of  the 
living  God ; as  God  hath  said,  I will  dwell 
in  them,  and  walk  in  them ; and  I will  be  their 
God,  and  they  shall  be  My  people.  (II.  Cor- 
inthians vi,  16.) 

II.  The  Marital  figure;  or  the  relation  ex- 
isting between  husband  and  wife.  “Where- 
fore, my  brethren,  ye  also  are  become  dead  to 
the  law  by  the  body  of  Christ ; that  ye  should 
be  married  to  another,  even  to  Him  who  is 
raised  from  the  dead,  that  ye  should  bring 
forth  fruit  unto  God.,,  (Romans  vii.  4.) 

“For  I am  jealous  over  you  with  godly  jeal- 


12 


The  Crisis  of 


ousy ; for  I have  espoused  you  to  one  husband, 
that  I may  present  you  as  a chaste  virgin  to 
Christ.”  (II.  Corinthians  xi.  2.) 

“For  this  cause  shall  a man  leave  his 
father  and  mother,  and  shall  be  joined  unto 
his  wife,  and  they  two  shall  be  one  flesh. 

“This  is  a great  mystery;  but  I speak  con- 
cerning Christ  and  the  Church.”  (Ephesians 
v.  3r>  32.) 

“Let  us  be  glad  and  rejoice,  and  give  honor 
to  Him ; for  the  marriage  of  the  Lamb  is 
come,  and  His  wife  hath  made  herself  ready.” 
(Revelation  xix.  7.) 

“And  the  Spirit  and  the  bride  say,  Come. 
And  let  him  that  heareth  say,  Come.  And  let 
Him  that  is  athirst  come.  And  whosoever 
will,  let  him  take  the  water  of  life  freely.” 
(Revelation  xxii.  17.) 

Christ  is  the  Husband ; and  His  people  con- 
stitute His  bride.  The  key  which  interprets 
the  spiritual  meaning  of  this  symbol  is  mystic 
love.  The  Old  Testament  abounds  in  allus- 
ions to  this  relationship  between  Jehovah  and 
Israel.  Read,  for  example,  Song  of  Songs,  and 
see  also  Hosea  ii.  14-23.  The  result  of  this 
holy  relationship  between  Christ  and  the  be- 
liever is  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit.  (Galatians 
v.  22,  23.) 


The  Deeper  Xife 


*3 


III.  The  Vegetable  figure;  or  the  relation 
existing  between  the  vine  and  the  branches. 

The  beautiful  allegory  of  the  vine  and  the 
branches  in  John  xv.  1-16,  is  an  unfolding  of 
this  vital  union  between  Christ  and  the  believer. 
It  should  be  very  carefully  studied.  Read  also 
Romans  xi.  17-24. 

“For  if  we  have  been  planted  together  in 
the  likeness  of  His  death,  we  shall  be  also  in  the 
likeness  of  His  resurrection.,,  (Romans  vi  5.) 

“As  ye  have  therefore  received  Christ  Jesus 
the  Lord,  so  walk  in  Him ; rooted  and  built  up 
in  Him,  as  ye  have  been  taught,  abounding 
therein  with  thanksgiving/'  (Colossians  ii. 
6,  7.) 

Christ  is  the  true  Vine ; and  His  people  are 
the  spiritual  branches.  The  key  which  inter- 
prets the  spiritual  meaning  of  this  symbol  is 
Fruitfulness.  Read  Psalm  lxxx,  and  Isaiah 
xxvii.  2,  3. 

IV.  The  Physical  figure  ; or  the  relation  ex- 
isting between  the  Head  and  the  body. 

“Know  ye  not  that  your  bodies  are  the 
members  of  Christ?  Shall  I then  take  the 
members  of  Christ,  and  make  them  the  mem- 
bers of  a harlot?  God  forbid.  What!  Know 
ye  not  that  your  body  is  the  temple  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  which  is  in  you,  which  ye  have 


14 


The  Crisis  of 


of  God,  and  ye  are  not  your  own?  (I  Corin- 
thians vi.  15,  19.) 

“For  as  the  body  is  one,  and  hath  many 
members,  and  all  the  members  of  that  one 
body,  being  many,  are  one  body ; so 
also  is  Christ.  Now  ye  are  the  body 
of  Christ,  and  members  in  particular.” 
(I.  Corinthians  xii.  12,  27).  The  whole  pass- 
age— vs.  12-27 — will  repay  careful  study. 

“And  hath  put  all  things  under  His  feet, 
and  gave  Him  to  be  the  Head  over  all  things 
to  the  Church, 

“Which  is  His  body,  the  fulness  of  Him  that 
filleth  all  in  all.”  (Ephesians  i.  22,  23.) 

“But  speaking  the  truth  in  love,  may  grow 
up  into  Him  in  all  things,  which  is  the  Head, 
even  Christ.”  (Ephesians  iv.  15.) 

“For  no  man  ever  yet  hated  his  own  flesh; 
but  nourisheth  it  and  cherisheth  it,  even  as  the 
Lord  the  Church ; 

“For  we  are  members  of  His  body,  of  His 
flesh  and  of  His  bones.”  (Ephesians  v.  29, 
3°-) 

Christ  is  the  Head ; and  the  Church  is  the 
body.  The  key  which  interprets  the  spiritual 
meaning  of  this  symbol  is  Completeness  and 
Mutual  Dependence  and  Administration.  In 


The  Deeper  Life 


15 


I.  Corinthians  xii.  12,  there  is  a striking  ex- 
pression: the  Church  is  called  Christ. 

V.  The  Racial  figure ; or  the  relation  exist- 
ing between  Adam  and  Christ. 

In  the  fifth  chapter  of  Romans,  verses  twelve 
to  twenty-one,  a historic  and  doctrinal  parallel 
is  drawn  by  the  apostle  Paul  between  Adam 
and  Christ.  To  understand  this  passage  is  to 
be  well  grounded  in  the  doctrines  of  sin  and 
grace. 

“For  as  in  Adam  all  die,  even  so  in  Christ 
shall  all  be  made  alive.  And  so  it  is  written, 
The  first  man  Adam  was  made  a living  soul ; 
the  last  Adam  was  made  a quickening  spirit. 

“And  as  we  have  borne  the  image  of  the 
earthy;  we  shall  also  bear  the  image  of  the 
heavenly/’  (I.  Corinthians  xv.  22,  45,  49.) 

Adam  is  the  head  of  the  natural  race;  and 
Christ  is  the  Head  of  the  spiritual  race.  The 
key  which  interprets  the  spiritual  meaning 
of  this  symbol  is  Representation,  or  what  is 
called  in  theological  language,  “Federal  Head- 
ship/’ 

Then  there  are  in  the  New  Testament  a num- 
ber of  explicit  statements  of  this  vital  union 
between  Christ  and  the  believer.  For  example, 
believers  are  said  to  be  in  Christ  and  Christ 
is  said  to  be  in  believers. 


i6 


The  Crisis  of 


“At  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I am  in  my 
Father,  and  ye  in  Me,  and  I in  you.”  (John  xiv. 
20.) 

"Abide  in  Me,  and  I in  you.  As  the  branch 
connot  bear  fruit  of  itself,  except  it  abide  in 
the  vine ; no  more  can  ye,  except  ye  abide  in 
Me.”  (John  xv.  4.) 

Again,  both  the  Father  and  the  Son  are  said 
to  be  in  the  believer. 

"Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  him,  If  a 
man  love  Me,  he  will  keep  My  words ; and  My 
Father  will  love  him ; and  We  will  come  unto 
him,  and  make  Our  abode  with  him.”  (John 
xiv.  23.) 

Christian  experience,  in  its  varied  phases, 
may  be  expressed  in  terms  of  the  believer’s 
union  with  Christ.  For  example,  Conversion 
is  the  sinner’s  turning  to  God  in  repentance 
and  faith  to  be  united  to  Christ.  Justification 
is  the  new  standing  which  the  believer  has 
through  union  with  Christ.  Regeneration  is 
the  new  life  which  is  imparted  to  the  believer 
through  union  with  Christ.  And  Sanctification 
is  the  purity  and  maturity  of  the  believer’s 
life  through  union  with  Christ. 

Some  essential  characteristics  of  the  believ- 
er’s union  with  Christ  may  be  mentioned : 

First,  it  is  organic . 


The  Deeper  Life 


*7 


In  Ephesians  v.  30.,  we  read:  “For  we  are 
members  of  His  body , of  His  flesh  and  of  His 
bones.” 

Second,  it  is  vital. 

In  Galatians  ii.  20,  we  read : “I  am  crucified 
with  Christ ; nevertheless  I live ; yet  not  I,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me;  and  the  life  which  I now 
live  in  the  flesh,  I live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son 
of  God,  who  loved  me,  and  gave  Himself  for 
me.” 

Third,  it  is  spiritual. 

In  I.  Corinthians  vi.  17,  we  read:  “But  he 
that  is  joined  to  the  Lord  is  one  spirit  ” 

Fourth,  it  is  mysterious. 

In  Colossians  i.  27,  we  read : “To  whom  God 
would  make  known  what  is  the  riches  of  the 
glory  of  this  mystery  among  the  Gentiles  which 
is  Christ  in  youf  the  hope  of  glory.” 

Fifth,  it  is  eternal. 

In  John  x.  28,  we  read:  “And  I give  unto 
them  eternal  life;  and  they  shall  never  perish, 
neither  shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  My 
hand.” 

This  supreme  fact  of  the  essential  connection 
between  Christ  and  Christianity,  on  the  one 
hand,  and  of  the  vital  union  between  the  believ- 
er and  Christ,  on  the  other  hand,  finds  express- 
ion in  the  simple  watchword  of  the  Christian 


18  The  Crisis  of 

and  Missionary  Alliance : “Christ  our  Saviour, 
Sanctifier,  Healer,  and  Coming  Lord.”  This 
familiar  phrase  is  popularly  called  “The  Four- 
fold Gospel.”  The  Alliance  has  neither  formal 
creed  nor  official  confession  of  faith,  so  called ; 
it  has  not  felt  the  need  of  one.  For  it  is  in 
substantial  accord  with  evangelical  truth ; and 
in  common  with  the  various  denominations 
accepts  the  great  body  of  Protestant 
theology.  By  this  we  mean  such  funda- 
mental doctrines  as : The  verbal  inspira- 

tion of  the  Holy  Scriptures  as  originally 
given,  the  Deity  and  vicarious  atonement  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  lost  condition  of 
the  sinner,  the  necessity  of  the  new  birth,  the 
personality  and  deeper  life  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
the  evangelization  of  the  world,  the  second 
coming  of  the  Lord,  the  eternal  salvation  of 
those  who  believe  in  Christ  and  the  everlast- 
ing punishment  of  those  who  reject  Him. 

But  the  Alliance  has  a special  calling  and  a 
distinctive  testimony.  This  finds  expression 
in  the  simple  and  popular  statement  of  “The 
Calling  and  Work  of  the  Alliance.” 

“Pre-eminently  we  are  witnesses  to  Christ 
We  are  glad  to  testify  to  Him  before  we  speak 
of  any  of  His  blessings  or  gifts  to  men.  It 
is  Christ  as  a Person,  as  a living  reality,  as  the 


The  Deeper  Life 


19 


supreme  fact  of  history  and  life,  Jesus  Himself, 
Who  is  the  theme  of  our  testimony.  Soon  He 
is  to  appear  in  the  vivid  and  glorious  revelation 
of  His  personal  majesty,  filling  all  earth  and 
heaven.  But  meanwhile  He  is  projecting  His 
personality  upon  the  age,  upon  the  thought 
and  heart  of  His  people,  and  upon  our  individ- 
ual lives,  and  He  wants  us  to  know  Him,  to 
represent  Him  and  to  reveal  Him  to  men. 
Above  everything  else  this  is  a Christ  move- 
ment. If  we  are  saved  it  is  Christ  Who  saves 
us.  If  we  are  sanctified  it  is  Christ  Who  is 
made  unto  us  sanctification.  If  we  are  healed 
it  is  because  His  life  is  in  us.  And  the  hope 
of  the  future  is  not  the  glory  He  is  to  reveal, 
but  the  return  of  our  King  Himself,  our  Be- 
loved and  our  Friend.” 

To  give  salvation  to  the  sinner;  to  make 
Christ  real  to  the  believer ; to  present  Christ 
in  His  fulness  through  the  power  of  the  in- 
dwelling Holy  Ghost  as  the  complete  satisfac- 
tion of  every  need  of  spirit,  mind,  and  body; 
to  give  Christ  and  the  riches  of  His  grace  to 
. the  heathen  world : — this  is  our  special  calling 
and  distinctive  testimony.  In  a word,  the  mis- 
sion and  message  of  the  Christian  and  Mis- 
sionary Alliance  is  to  proclaim  neglected 
Scripture  truth  and  to  prosecute  neglected 


20 


The  Crisis  of 


Christian  work  both  at  home  and  abroad: — 
“to  give  the  whole  Gospel  to  the  whole 
world.” 

From  the  beginning  it  has  been  the  spirit 
of  our  movement  not  so  much  to  preach  doc- 
trine as  to  preach  Christ.  The  aim  has  been 
to  avoid  the  controversial  side  of  disputed 
questions,  and  to  present  “the  fulness  of  Jesus” 
for  Christian  life  and  service.  Take,  for  ex- 
ample, the  second  part  of  our  attractive  watch- 
word: “Christ  our  Sanctifier.”  This  phrase 

expresses  at  once  the  simplest  fact  and  the  pro- 
foundest  philosophy  of  holiness.  On  this 
supremely  important  theme  it  is  our  mission 
and  our  message  to  present  the  living  Lord, 
Who  is  “made  unto  us  sanctification.”  So  far 
as  possible  we  leave  the  plane  of  theory  and 
rise  to  the  simple  and  sublime  truth  of  the 
indwelling  Christ.  We  do  not,  therefore,  em- 
phasize inner  states  and  subjective  experiences 
as  much  as  we  emphasize  the  Lord.  We  do  not 
magnify  the  blessing ; we  magnify  the  Blesser. 
We  do  not  talk  about  “it”  but  about  “Him.” 

A story  is  told  of  a London  clergyman  who 
visited  a woman  in  trouble  about  her  soul.  She 
could  not  understand  the  way  of  faith.  The 
minister  noticed  that  she  was  in  destitute  cir- 
cumstances ; and  giving  her  sixpence,  he 


The  Deeper  Life 


21 


asked  her  what  she  could  get  with  it.  “Why, 
sir replied  the  woman,  “I  can  get  a penny- 
worth of  bread,  a pennyworth  of  butter,  a pen- 
nyworth of  tea,  a pennyworth  of  coals,  a ha’- 
pennyworth  of  sugar,  a ha’pennyworth  of 
wood,  a ha’penny  candle, — and  then  I shall 
have  a ha’penny  left.”  “But  how,”  inquired 
the  clergyman,  “can  you  get  so  much  for  so 
little?”  “You  see,  sir,”  responded  the  woman, 
“it’s  all  in  the  sixpence.”  “Well,  but  how,” 
he  asked,  “did  you  get  the  sixpence?”  “Why, 
sir,”  she  said,  “you  gave  it  to  me,  and 
I took  it.”  Then  the  minister  said:  “My 

good  woman,  God  is  offering  you  Jesus  Christ, 
just  as  I offered  you  the  sixpence.  Will  you 
not  take  His  gift  just  as  you  took  my  six- 
pence? If  you  will  accept  Christ,  you  will 
find  that  just  as  the  food,  the  warmth,  and  the 
light  are  'all  in  the  sixpence,’  so  all  you  need 
is  in  Him.” 

But  while  emphasizing  the  indwelling 
Christ,  our  Alliance  has  always  clearly  and  un- 
mistakably stood  for  “a  real  genuine  experi- 
ence of  righteousness  of  heart  and  life.”  In 
the  language  of  one  of  our  official  leaflets 
this  means  “a  testimony  of  a life  of  holiness,  a 
mighty  complete  inworking  of  the  grace  and 
power  of  God,  sufficient  to  overcome  the  power 


22 


The  Crisis  of 


of  sin,  to  lift  us  above  the  dominancy  of  self, 
to  fill  us  with  the  Spirit  of  God,  and  to  repro- 
duce in  us  the  very  life  of  Christ  Himself.  It 
(this  testimony)  meets  the  hunger  of  a great 
multitude  of  weary,  dissatisfied  and  defeated 
lives,  who  are  asking,  'Is  there  not  some- 
thing better  than  this  old  round  of  sin 
and  failure?  Is  there  not  as  much 
power  in  our  Christ  to  keep  us  now  as  there 
will  be  some  day  to  glorify  us  in  heaven  be- 
yond?' And  we  tell  them  that  'He  is  able 
to  save  unto  the  uttermost  all  that  come  unto 
God  by  Him.'  But  we  are  not  too  fastidious 
about  phases  and  phrases  if  there  be  real 
genuine  experience  of  righteousness  of  heart 
and  life ; but  we  love  to  emphasize  the  Christ 
side  of  holiness ; not  self  perfection,  not  the 
restoration  of  what  Adam  lost,  but  a Divine 
life-union  with  God,  the  nature  of  Jesus  Him- 
self, the  indwelling  and  overcoming  power 
of  the  Holy v Spirit ; not  as  the  result  of  a slow 
and  toilsome  struggle,  but  as  the  free  gift  of 
grace  bestowed  ;pp°n  every  surrendered  and 
believing  heart." 

Sanctification  is  not  a garment  to  conceal 
unrighteousness.  It  is  not  a veneering  to  hide 
a life  spiritually  untransformed.  Sanctification 
means  renewed  character  and  righteous  con- 


The  Deeper  Life 


23 


duct.  It  involves  a radical  revolution  in  per- 
sonality. There  is  a change  in  the  temper 
of  the  mind,  in  the  disposition  of  the  heart, 
and  in  the  bent  of  the  will.  But  the  blessing 
of  a clean  heart  is  inseparable  from  the  possess- 
ion of  the  clean  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost. 
Without  His  presence  the  cleansing  of  the  tem- 
ple would  not  be  permanent.  Sanctification  is 
not  ours  apart  from  the  person  of  Christ.  We 
are  holy  only  as  we  are  in  vital  union  with 
the  Holy  One.  When  we  get  Him , we  get 
everything  in  Him.  "He  that  spared  not  His 
own  Son,  but  delivered  Him  up  for  us  all,  how 
shall  He  not  with  Him  also  freely  give  us 
all  things.”  (Romans  viii.  32.)  Thus  our 
watchword  for  a holy  life  and  a fruitful  minis- 
try is: 

"Everything  in  Jesus,  and  Jesus  everything.” 


Chapter  II. 


NEWNESS  OF  LIFE 

— — ] HERE  is  a progress  of  Divine  truth 
and  of  Christian  experience.  All 
Ms  God’s  works,  whether  in  creation 
wM  or  redemption,  have  a beginning,  a 
»||  development,  and  a completion.  Of 
^ the  spiritual  world,  as  well  as  of 

* the  natural  world,  the  law  is : 

“First  the  blade,  then  the  ear,  after 
that  the  full  corn  in  the  ear.”  (Mark  iv.  28.) 

Holiness  is  not  the  first  step  in  Christian 
experience.  The  new  birth  is  the  starting 
point.  Before  we  can  know  Christ  as  our 
Sanctifier,  we  must  know  Him  as  our  Saviour. 
Before  spiritual  life  can  be  deepened,  it  must 
be  received. 

There  is  no  fact  more  clearly  revealed  in  the 
Scriptures  than  that  man  is  a wanderer  from 
God.  Like  the  prodigal  son  he  has  left  his 
Father’s  house.  This  is  the  first  scene  in  the 
drama  of  redemption: — the  race  of  Adam  is 
lost.  Man  is  a sinner — a rebel  against  God ; 
and  as  the  result  of  sin  his  mind  is  darkened, 
his  heart  degraded,  and  his  will  depraved. 


The  Deeper  Life 


25 


“And  God  saw  that  the  wickedness  ot  man 
was  great  in  the  earth,  and  that  every  imagin- 
ation of  the  thoughts  of  his  heart  was  evil 
continually.”  (Genesis  vi.  5.) 

“Who  can  bring  a clean  thing  out  of  an  un- 
clean? not  one.”  (Job  xiv.  4.) 

“What  is  man  that  he  should  be  clean?  and 
he  that  is  born  of  woman,  that  he  should  be 
righteous?”  (Job  xv.  14.) 

“Behold,  I was  shapen  in  iniquity;  and  in 
sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me.”  (Psalm  li. 
5-) 

“The  wicked  are  estranged  from  the  womb ; 
they  go  astray  as  soon  as  they  are  born,  speak- 
ing lies.”  (Psalm  lviii.  3.) 

“There  is  not  a just  man  on  earth,  that 
doeth  good  and  sinneth  not.”  (Ecclesiastes 
vii.  20.) 

“Out  of  the  heart  proceed  evil  thoughts, 
murders,  adulteries,  fornications,  thefts,  false 
witnesses,  blasphemies.”  (Matthew  xv.  19.) 

“As  it  is  written,  There  is  none  righteous, 
no,  not  one. 

“There  is  none  that  understandeth,  there  is 
none  that  seeketh  after  God.  They  are  all 
gone  out  of  the  way,  they  are  altogether  be- 
come unprofitable ; there  is  none  that  doeth 
good,  no,  not  one.”  (Romans  iii.  10-12.) 


26 


The  Crisis  of 


“All  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the  glory 
of  God.”  (Romans  iii.  23  .) 

“Wherefore,  as  by  one  man  sin  came  into 
the  world,  and  death  by  sin ; and  so  death  pass- 
ed upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned.” 
(Romans  v.  12.) 

“Among  whom  also  we  all  had  our  con- 
versation, in  times  past,  in  the  lusts  of  the 
flesh ; fulfilling  the  desires  of  the  flesh  and  of 
the  mind,  and  were  by  nature  the  children  of 
wrath  even  as  others.”  (Ephesians  ii.  3.) 

“Having  the  understanding  darkened,  being 
alienated  from  the  life  of  God  through  the 
ignc  ranee  that  is  in  them,  because  of  the  blind- 
ness of  their  hearts.”  (Ephesians  iv.  18.) 

But,  saddest  of  all,  the  world  does  not 
know  its  doom.  Sinners  are  blinded  to  their 
lost  estate.  Like  the  wretched  prodigal,  they 
are  in  a “far  country,”  wasting  their  substance 
“with  riotous  living.”  They  have  no  sense 
of  impending  peril,  and  are  giving  themselves 
up  to  the  engrossing  pressure  of  business  or 
the  gay  pursuit  of  pleasure. 

The  sinner  is  like  a little  girl,  who  was  found 
crying  on  the  street  of  a great  city. 

“My  child,”  said  a kind-hearted  policeman, 
who  found  her,  “you  are  lost ; come  with  me.” 


The  Deeper  Life 


27 


“No,”  replied  the  little  one,  “I  am  not  lost. 
I am  all  right ; but  my  mamma  is  lost !’ 

So  to-day  sinners  are  wondering  where  God 
is:  some  are  doubting  His  existence;  others 
are  questioning  His  love  and  providential  care. 
Yet  men  and  women  are  lost ; and  Tesus  Christ 
"came  to  seek  and  save  that  which  was  lost.” 
In  the  ear  of  every  poor  sinner  rings  the  ques- 
tion which  God  asked  His  first  wandering 
child,  "Adam,  where  art  thou?”  Sinner,  you 
are  lost,  lost ! LOST!!  Do  you  realize  that 
you  are  "without  Christ  * * * having  no  hope, 
and  without  God  in  the  world?”  (Ephesians 
ii.  1 2.) 

The  next  scene  in  the  working  out  of  re- 
demption is  the  Father’s  love.  Man  forsook 
God : God  did  not  forsake  man.  The  father 
in  the  parable  of  the  prodigal  son  represents 
God.  It  grieved  the  father  to  have  his  boy 
leave  home,  and  go  out  alone  in  the  world. 
Yet  he  did  not  forcibly  detain  his  son.  Con- 
tra r>  to  his  father’s  wishes  the  young  man 
made  his  choice,  and  had  to  abide  by  the  conse- 
quences, disastrous  as  they  were,  Although 
grief  filled  his  heart,  yet  the  father  ceased  not 
to  love  his  son.  He  did  more:  He  saw  to  it 
that  on  his  own  part  there  was  no  obstacle  in 


28 


The  Crisis  of 


the  way  of  the  wanderer's  return  at  any  time. 
He  kept  the  latch-string  out  and  a light  always 
burning  in  the  window.  Every  morning  and 
evening  he  climbed  the  hilltop  in  front  of  the 
house,  and  shading  his  eyes  with  his  hands 
looked  eagerly  and  anxiously  for  any  sign  of 
his  wandering  boy's  return. 

This  is  a picture  of  the  heart  of  God.  Al- 
though man  disobeyed  God,  yet  God  did  not 
cease  to  love  him.  He  grieved  over  his  rebel- 
lion and  yearned  for  his  return.  But  God  went 
farther  than  the  father  in  the  parable.  He 
took  active  measures  toward  the  sinner's  re- 
turn. His  heart  prompted,  His  wisdom  de- 
vised, and  His  power  provided  a way  of  re- 
demption. This  brings  us  to  the  third  picture 
of  salvation — the  cross.  We  are  apt  to  get 
the  matter  wrong.  We  think  that  God  loves 
us,  because  Christ  died  for  us.  Whereas  it 
is  just  the  other  way:  Christ  died  for  us,  be- 
cause God  loves  us.  Listen ! 

“For  God  so  loved  the  world,  that  He  gave 
His  only  begotten  Son,  that  whosoever  be- 
lieveth  in  Him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
everlasting  life."  (John  iii.  16.) 

“For  God  commendeth  His  love  toward  us, 
in  that,  while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died 
for  us."  (Romans  v.  8.) 


The  Deeper  Life 


29 


The  cross  of  Christ  tells  the  story  of  the 
love  of  God  for  a lost  race.  Christ  died  for 
sinners.  This  is  the  heart  of  the  Gospel.  The 
innocent  Son  of  God  took  the  place  of  the 
guilty  son  of  Adam.  Christ  took  the  place  of 
the  sinner  in  judgment  and  Himself  bore  the 
penalty  of  his  sin.  This  is  the  meaning  of  the 
blood. 

Sinner,  have  you  had  a vision  of  the  cross? 
Do  you  realize  that  Christ  died  for  you  and  on 
the  "cruel  tree”  bore  your  sins?  More  than 
this ; do  you  see  that  in  the  person  of  your  sub- 
stitute, if  you  accept  Jesus  Christ  as  your 
Substitute,  you  have  been  executed,  and  that 
now  the  law  of  God  has  no  claim  against  you  ? 
Do  you  know  that  by  His  death  the  Lord 
Jesus  has  reconciled  you  to  God?  Do  you 
know  that  by  simple  faith  the  Saviour  may  be 
yours,  and  that  you  may  have  peace  with  God  ? 
Only  sin  can  blind  you  to  these  glorious  truths. 
Oh,  look  to  Jesus  and  live! 

"There  is  life  for  a look  at  the  Crucified 
One.” 

The  next  picture  in  the  pilgrim's  progress  is 
the  wanderer's  decision  to  return  to  his 
Father's  house.  It  was  while  he  was  tending 
swine  and  feeding  on  husks  that  the  prodigal 
"came  to  himself,”  remembered  the  abunc?' 


30 


The  Crisis  of 


ance  of  his  father’s  house,  and  resolved  to  go 
back.  He  exclaimed:  “I  will  arise  and  go 

to  my  father,  and  will  say  unto  him,  'Father  I 
have  sinned  against  heaven  and  before  thee, 
and  am  no  more  worthy  to  be  called  thy  son ; 
make  me  as  one  of  thy  servants.’  ” 

Spiritually,  this  means  that  at  last  the  eyes 
of  the  sinner  are  open ; he  sees  his  lost  con- 
dition ; and  he  decides  to  return  to  Christ. 
Two  steps  will  bring  the  sinner  to  the  Saviour. 
One  is  repentance ; and  the  other  is  faith.  The 
result  of  taking  these  two  steps  is  conversion. 
Strictly  speaking,  conversion  is  a human  pro- 
cess rather  than  a Divine  work;  the  word 
means,  literally,  "a  turning  around.”  The 
sinner  performs  the  military  evolution  of 
"right  about  face.”  Instead  of  facing  the 
world  he  now  faces  God. 

The  first  step  in  conversion  is  repentance. 
The  Greek  word,  metanoia , signifies,  literally, 
"a  change  of  mind.”  Thus  Jesus  said,  "The 
time  is  fulfilled,  and  the  kingdom  of  God  is  at 
hand ; repent  ye,  and  believe  the  Gospel.” 
(Mark  i.  15.)  There  are  three  things  in  re- 
pentance, namely:  First , a recognition  of  sin. 
This  is  an  intellectual  process.  Second , a 

godly  sorrow  for  sin.  This  is  an  emotional 
element.  It  is  deep,  sincere  contrition  of  hea^ 


The  Deeper  Life 


3i 


Yet  of  itself  it  does  not  save.  There  is  needed 
the  third  factor:  A forsaking  of  sin.  This 

is  a decision  of  the  will.  It  is  the  actual  turn- 
ing away  from  sin.  Sam  Jones  expresses  it: 
“Quit  your  meanness.”  Repentance  is  the 
fruit  of  conviction  of  sin.  No  one  can  produce 
conviction  of  sin  in  his  own  heart ; it  is  the 
work  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  “And  when  He  is 
come,  He  will  convince  (convict)  the  world 
of  sin,  and  of  righteousness,  and  of  judg- 
ment.” (John  xvi.  8.) 

Just  as  repentance  is  a turning  from  sin, 
so  faith  is  a turning  towards  God.  In  nature 
faith,  is,  in  part,  certainty  and,  in  part,  trust . 
In  one  aspect  it  is  a kind  of  sixth  sense — a 
spiritual  sense,  taking  the  place  of  evidence  in 
material  things. 

“Now  faith  is  the  substance  of  things  hoped 
for,  the  evidence  of  things  not  seen.”  (He- 
brews xi.  1.) 

It  is  commonly  said  “Seeing  is  believing.” 
But  in  reality  the  opposite  of  this  is  the  truth : 
“Believing  is  seeing.”  That  is,  believing  is 
spiritual  sight.  One  who  believes  requires  no 
other  proof : his  faith  is  his  proof . But  in 
another  aspect  faith  is  trust;  a reliance  of  the 
soul  upon  God. 

“Commit  thy  way  unto  the  Lord ; trust  also 


32 


The  Crisis  of 


in  Him;  and  He  shall  bring  it  to  pass”  (liter- 
ally, He  worketh.)  (Psalm  xxxvii.  5.) 

As  to  its  source,  faith  is  both  human  and 
Divine.  By  the  mysterious  and  gracious 
working  of  the  Holy  Spirit  the  sinner  can 
believe  upon  Christ  for  salvation,  and  God 
requires  him  to  do  it.  Thus,  the  Philippian 
jailer  inquired  of  Paul  and  Silas: 

“Sirs,  what  must  I do  to  be  saved?  And 
they  said,  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
and  thou  shalt  be  saved,  and  thy  house.” 
(Acts  xvi.  31.) 

In  the  decision  of  his  will  to  believe,  God 
meets  the  sinner  with  the  gracious  power  to 
believe.  Thus  faith  is  the  gift  of  God  and 
the  fruit  of  the  Spirit. 

“For  by  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith ; 
and  that  not  of  yourselves ; it  is  the  gift  of 
God.”  (Ephesians  ii.  8.) 

“But  the  fruit  of  the  Sprit  is  * * * faith. 
(Galatians  v.  22.) 

There  is  a point,  however,  where  our  faith 
breaks  down ; and  we  have  to  receive  the  faith 
of  God.  Yea,  more;  we  must  take  Christ  to 
believe  in  us.  Paul  exclaimed,  “the  life  which 
I now  live  in  the  flesh,  I live  by  the  faith  of 
the  Son  of  God , Who  loved  me  and  gave 
Himself  for  me.”  (Galatians  ii.  20.) 


The  Deeper  Life 


33 


Now,  conversion  must  be  sound  and  thor- 
ough. Along  with  repentance  must  go,  when 
necessary,  reparation  and  restitution.  Repara- 
tion means  the  repairing  of  an  injury.  For 
example,  if  anything  unkind  or  unjust  has  been 
said  or  done,  it  must  be  rectified  by  confession 
and  reconciliation.  Restitution  means  the  re- 
storing of  that  which  does  not  belong  to  one. 
For  example,  if  before  conversion,  a fraud  has 
been  practised  or  a theft  committed,  the  matter 
must  be  made  right  by  confession  and  restora- 
tion. Confession  alone  is  not  sufficient;  the 
stolen  goods  must  be  returned ; or  if  that  be 
impossible,  the  just  equivalent  must  be  given. 
In  similar  circumstances  Zaccheus  restored 
fourfold.  (Luke  xix.  8.) 

The  final  picture  of  the  sinner's  return  is 
one  of  reconciliation  and  restoration.  The 
prodigal  son  “arose,  and  came  to  his  father." 
And  when  he  reached  his  father's  house  he 
found  a welcome  in  his  father's  heart.  The 
old  man  ran  to  meet  the  returning  wanderer, 
and  fell  on  his  neck  and  kissed  him.  The 
boy  had  a set  speech  ready ; but  he  either  for- 
got the  latter  part  or  was  not  permitted  to  fin- 
ish it.  The  father  had  the  best  robe  put  upon 
his  son,  and  a ring  placed  on  his  hand,  and 
shoes  on  his  feet.  The  fatted  calf  was  killed* 


34 


The  Crisis  of 


and  the  whole  household  began  to  eat  and  be 
merry.  The  father’s  heart  was  bursting  with 
joy,  as  he  exclaimed: 

“For  this  my  son  was  dead,  and  is  alive 
again;  he  was  lost,  and  is  found.”  Sinner, 
may  you  like  the  prodigal  son,  not  only  “come 
to  yourself,”  but  also  “arise  and  go  to  your 
Father.”  God  has  come  far  more  than  half 
way.  One  step,  and  one  step  only,  will  bring 
you  to  His  heart.  This  is  the  choice  of  your 
will.  God  pleads  with  you,  but  will  not  coerce 
you.  “Turn  ye,  turn  ye ; for  why  will  ye  die.” 
Sinner,  backslider,  this  is  the  hour  of  mercy. 
Oh,  sinner,  close  in  with  God ! Take  Christ  as 
your  Saviour.  Oh,  backslider,  return  now 
unto  your  Father’s  house!  Then  God  will 
clothe  you  with  the  garment  of  salvation — the 
robe  of  Christ’s  righteousness;  give  you  the 
kiss  of  reconciliation ; put  on  your  hand  the 
ring  of  restored  fellowship  ; clad  your  feet  with 
the  preparation  of  the  gospel  of  peace;  and 
there  will  be  joy  in  heaven  among  the  angels 
over  the  sinner  that  repenteth  and  over  the 
backslider  that  returneth  to  his  Father’s  house. 

This  transformation  of  a sinner  into  a be- 
liever is  known  in  doctrinal  language  as  justi- 
fication and  regeneration.  These  terms  may 
be  separated  in  thought  but  not  in  experience. 


The  Deeper  Life 


35 


At  the  same  time  that  God  justifies  He  also 
regenerates.  Let  us  look  a little  at  these  two 
things. 

First,  justification.  The  sinner  is  a law 
breaker,  and  under  sentence  of  punishment. 
In  the  act  of  justification  God  pardons  him. 
But  He  does  more  than  that ; He  treats  the  sin- 
ner as  if  he  had  never  done  wrong.  In  the 
Scriptures  to  justify  means  not  to  make  right- 
eous, but  to  declare  righteous.  It  is  a term 
taken  from  the  usages  of  law,  and  describes  a 
change  in  the  standing  of  a person  and  not  in 
his  character.  When  justified,  the  sinner 
stands  before  the  law  of  God,  not  merely  as 
a guilty  man  who  has  been  pardoned,  but  as 
an  innocent  man  who  never  has  done  wrong. 
Understand  clearly,  it  is  not  that  the  sinner  is 
not  guilty  and  deserving  of  punishment,  but 
rather  that  because  of  Christ’s  death  in  his 
stead  and  because  of  his  faith  in  Christ  as  his 
substitute  the  sinner  is  treated  as  if  he  were 
innocent.  Thus,  justification  is  obtained  in  a 
two-fold  way,  namely:  first,  by  the  blood  of 
Christ ; and  second,  by  the  faith  of  the  sinner. 

‘‘Being  justified  freely  by  His  grace, 
through  the  redemption  that  is  in  Christ 
Jesus.”  (Romans  iii.  24.) 

“Therefor^  being  justified  by  faith,  we  have 


The  Crisis  of 


36 

peace  with  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.”  (Romans  v.  1.) 

Of  course  the  blood  of  Christ  means  not 
only  His  death  but  His  resurrection  as  well. 

“Who  was  delivered  for  our  offenses,  and 
was  raised  again  for  our  justification.” 
(Romans  iv.  25.) 

Second,  regeneration . But  now,  what  is  re- 
generation? We  have  said  that  at  the  time 
God  justifies  He  also  regenerates.  Well, 
justification  changes  the  sinner’s  standing , but 
regeneration  changes  his  character.  Justifica- 
tion gives  a new  relationship  to  God,  but  re- 
generation gives  a new  life  in  God.  In  other 
words,  justification  is  the  legal  transformation 
of  a sinner  into  a believer,  while  regeneration 
is  the  actual  transformation.  There  are  quite 
a number  of  Scriptural  descriptions  of  the 
change  wrought  in  regeneration.  Let  us 
notice  a few  of  them: 

I.  A new  heart  and  a new  spirit. 

“A  new  heart  will  I give  you,  and  a new 
spirit  will  I put  within  you ; and  I will  take 
away  the  stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and 
give  you  a heart  of  flesh.”  (Ezekiel  xxxvi. 
26.) 

Now,  we  must  recognize  that  this  verse  is 


The  Deeper  Life 


37 


part  of  a passage  which  refers  primarily  to 
Israel,  and  is  yet  to  be  literally  fulfilled  in  the 
future.  But  at  the  same  time  this  section, 
chapter  xxxvi.  25-38,  has  a deeply  spiritual  sig- 
nificance ; and  this  verse  may  properly  be  taken 
as  a promise  of  new  life  in  Christ.  The  read- 
er will  notice  that  the  thought  of  substitution 
is  presented:  the  old  is  set  aside,  and  the  new 
is  imparted.  For  the  “stony  heart”  a “heart 
of  flesh”  or  a “new  heart”  is  given ; and  a “new 
spirit”  is  implanted. 

II.  Born  again,  or  born  “from  above.” 

“Verily,  verily,  I say  unto  thee,  except  a 
man  be  born  again  (literally  from  above),  he 
cannot  see  the  kingdom  of  God.”  (John  iii. 
3-) 

Our  Lord's  conversation  with  Nicodemus  in 
the  third  chapter  of  John  may  be  regarded 
as  a succession  of  contrasts.  There  is,  first, 
the  contrast  between  natural  birth  and  spiri- 
tual birth,  (verses  3-5.)  Then  there  is,  second, 
the  contrast  between  the  flesh  and  the  spirit. 
"That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh ; and 
that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit.” 
(v.  6.)  And  then  there  is,  third,  the  contrast 
between  “earthly  things”  and  “heavenly 
things.”  (v.  12.)  Now  the  point  to  be  espec- 


38 


The  Crisis  of 


ially  noted  in  this  connection  is  that  the  new 
life  in  God,  here  described  as  “born  again” 
and  “born  of  the  Spirit”  is  not  of  the  earth, 
nor  of  the  flesh;  it  is  “from  above”  and  “of 
the  Spirit.” 

“Which  were  born,  not  of  blood,  nor  of 
the  will  of  the  flesh,  nor  of  the  will  of  man, 
but  of  God.”  (John  i.  13.) 

III.  A passing  from  death  unto  life. 

“Verily,  verily,  I say  unto  you,  he  that 
heareth  My  word,  and  believeth  on  Him  that 
sent  Me,  hath  everlasting  life,  and  shall  not 
come  into  condemnation  (literally,  judgment)  ; 
but  is  passed  from  death  unto  life.”  (John  v. 
24.) 

Death  is  not  only  the  separation  of  the  soul 
from  the  body  but  also  the  separation  of  the 
soul  from  God.  To  be  cut  off  from  contact 
with  God  is  death — moral  death.  Death  is 
one  of  the  terms  used  in  the  Scriptures  to 
describe  the  condition  of  the  sinner.  And  the 
imparting  of  spiritual  life  is  described  as  a 
quickening  from  death. 

“But  God  who  is  rich  in  mercy,  for  His 
great  love  wherewith  He  loved  us,  even  when 
we  were  dead  in  sins,  hath  quickened  us  to- 
gether with  Christ,  (by  grace  are  ye  saved;) 

“And  hath  raised  us  up  together,  and  made 


The  Deeper  Life 


39 


us  sit  together  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ 
Jesus.”  (Ephesians  ii.  4-6.) 

IV.  A new  creation. 

“Therefore  if  any  man  be  in  Christ,  he  is 
a new  creature  (literally,  creation)  ; old  things 
are  passed  away ; behold  all  things  are  become 
new.”  (II.  Corinthians  v.  17.) 

“For  in  Christ  Jesus  neither  circumcision 
availeth  anything,  nor  uncircumcision,  but  a 
new  creature  (literally,  creation).  (Galatians 
vi.  15.) 

Here  a radical  distinction  is  made  between 
natural  life  and  spiritual  life,  between  the 
old  creation  and  the  new  creation.  In  Romans 
vi.  4,  we  read  that  we  are  to  walk  “in  newness 
of  life.”  In  the  New  Testament  there  are  two 
Greek  adjectives,  translated  “new ;”  one  is 
neos , denoting  what  is  new  in  time ; the  other 
is  kainos , signifying  what  is  new  in  nature. 
The  word  “newness”  in  the  phrase  “newness 
of  life”  is  a noun  formed  from  the  latter  ad- 
jective, and  denotes  a new  kind  or  quality  of 
life.  The  only  other  occurrence  of  this  Greek 
noun  in  the  New  Testament  is  in  Romans  vii. 
6 — ” that  we  should  serve  in  newness  of  spirit, 
and  not  in  the  oldness  of  the  letter,” — where 
the  meaning  is  the  same,  viz.,  the  new  kind  of 
life  which  we  receive  from  the  Holy  Spirit. 


40 


The  Crisis  of 


“And  He  that  sat  upon  the  throne  said: 
Behold,  I make  all  things  new.”  (Revelation 
xxi.  5.) 

V.  A partaking  of  the  Divine  nature. 

“Whereby  are  given  unto  us  exceeding  great 
and  precious  promises ; that  by  these  ye  might 
be  partakers  of  the  Divine  nature,  having  es- 
caped the  corruption  that  is  in  the  world 
through  lust.”  (II.  Peter  i.  4.) 

This  is  perhaps  the  nearest  approach  to  a 
definition  of  any  of  the  descriptions  of  regen- 
eration which  we  have  examined.  Almost  ex- 
clusively in  the  words  of  Scripture  we  may 
say,  “to  be  born  from  above  is  to  become  a 
partaker  of  the  Divine  nature.”  Dr.  A.  J. 
Gordon  says:  “Regeneration  is  the  communi- 
cation of  the  Divine  nature  to  man  by  the 
operation  of  the  Holy  Spirit  through  the 
Word.”  In  the  new  birth  there  is  both  an 
operation  of  the  Spirit  of  God  and  an  agency 
of  the  Word  of  God. 

“Jesus  answered,  Verily,  verily,  I say  unto 
you,  Except  a man  be  born  of  water  and  of  the 
Spirit,  he  cannot  enter  into  the  kingdom  of 
God.”  (John  iii.  5.) 

“Being  born  again,  not  of  corruptible  seed, 
but  of  incorruptible,  by  the  Word  of  God, 


The  Deeper  Life  41 

which  liveth  and  abideth  forever.”  (I.  Peter 

»•  23.) 

Mysterious  in  all  its  varied  forms  is  the 
nature  of  life.  All  we  know  is  something  of 
its  characteristics.  We  know,  for  example, 
that  there  are  different  grades  of  life,  each 
grade  separate  and  distinct  from  all  the  others. 
Thus,  a product  of  the  vegetable  kingdom  can 
never  become  a product  of  the  animal  king- 
dom. Between  the  two  kingdoms  there  is  an 
impassable  gulf.  Again,  an  animal  can  never 
develop  into  a man.  The  theory  of  evolution  is 
now  being  abandoned  by  some  of  its  former 
ablest  supporters.  To  borrow  a figure,  your 
pet  dog  can  never  be  as  one  of  the  children. 
It  has  the  nature  and  mind  of  a dog;  and  no 
amount  of  petting  or  training  can  make  it  any- 
thing else  but  a dog.  It  cannot  enter  intelli- 
gently into  the  sympathies  and  interests  of  the 
family  circle.  In  like  manner,  a sinner  can- 
not grow  into  a Christian.  The  mightiest  phil- 
osopher that  ever  lived  can  never  by  natural 
process  become  a child  of  God.  Jesus  said: 
“That  which  is  born  of  flesh  is  flesh : and  that 
which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit/’  (John 
iii.  6.)  An  amiable  disposition,  a gentle  spirit, 
a courteous  manner,  personal  charm,  and  ster- 


42 


The  Deeper  Life 


ling  worth — all  these  things  are  desirable  and 
perhaps  essential  qualities  of  moral  character, 
but  of  themselves  they  do  not  furnish  evidence 
of  the  possession  of  spiritual  life.  The  new 
birth  is  not  education,  nor  culture,  nor  charac- 
ter. It  is  life,  a new  life,  eternal  life,  the  very 
life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man.  As  some  one 
has  said,  'The  Christian  life  is  a Chrtst-life.” 


Chapter  III. 


IN  THE  WILDERNESS 

T is  a great  thing  to  be  saved.  But 
salvation  is  only  the  letter  A of 
the  alphabet  of  Christian  experi- 
ence. In  emphasizing  the  impor- 
tance of  sanctification  it  is  unnec- 
essary to  minimize  the  equal  im- 
portance of  regeneration.  It  is 
to  be  feared  that  some  persons  are 
striving  to  understand  the  deeper  truths  of  the 
Gospel  who  have  never  received  spiritual  life. 

There  is  joy  in  heaven  and  on  earth  when 
a soul  is  born  into  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
heart  of  the  new  convert  overflows  with 
peace  and  gladness,  and  his  lips  are  filled  with 
praises  to  God.  The  language  of  his  soul  is : — 

“He  brought  me  out  of  the  miry  clay, 

He  put  my  feet  on  the  rock  to  stay; 

He  puts  a song  in  my  heart  to-day, 

A song  of  praise,  Hallelujah !” 

It  is  a good  thing  for  the  children  of  God 
to  recall  the  time  of  their  first  love.  You  re- 
member, beloved,  how  it  all  was.  You  lived 
in  a new  world.  The  Divine  light  and  heaven- 


44 


The  Crisis  of 


ly  glory  in  your  soul  were  reflected  upon  your 
surroundings.  Everything  looked  different. 
Even  the  most  familiar  things  were  not  quite 
the  same.  There  was  a new  light  upon  sea 
and  sky.  The  birds  sang  more  sweetly.  The 
grass  was  greener.  All  nature  in  its  varied 
forms  spoke  to  you  in  voices  which  before  you 
could  not  understand. 

“Everywhere,  everywhere, 

In  the  earth,  and  sea,  and  air, 

God,  His  wond’rous  works  declare, 

God  is  present  everywhere.” 

You  were  never  so  happy  before  in  all  your 
life.  Cares  and  responsibilities  sat  lightly  upon 
you.  You  seemed  to  be  walking  on  air.  Life 
wore  on  like  a beautiful  dream,  full  of  heaven- 
ly romance,  and  you  often  found  yourself 
wondering  if  it  could  all  be  real.  It  seemed 
almost  too  good  to  be  true.  Of  course  such 
manifestations  of  spiritual  exaltation  are  rare- 
ly present  in  every  instance  in  their  full  inten- 
sity, for  the  temperament  and  training  of 
Christians  modify  and  color  their  religious  ex- 
perience. 

After  a little,  however,  a change  came.  It 
was  not,  perhaps,  that  the  heavenly  light  in 
the  soul  faded,  not  that  the  Divine  glory 
grew  dim,  nor  yet  that  the  song  of  praise  died 


The  Deeper  Life 


45 


out  on  the  lips.  But  somehow  things  were 
not  the  same.  Temptations  came  which  were 
not  overcome.  You  found  that  you  did  not 
have  the  mastery  over  sin.  The  first  fall  took 
you  by  surprise ; you  were  not  prepared  for  it. 
You  were  cast  down,  and  waves  of  disappoint- 
ment broke  over  your  soul.  But  you  took  the 
matter  to  your  Saviour.  In  grief  and  peni- 
tence you  told  Him  all  about  it.  Easily  and 
quickly  you  found  forgiveness  and  restoration, 
and  then  went  on  your  way  rejoicing  with  re- 
newed confidence ; but  soon  the  experience  was 
repeated.  You  wondered  what  it  all  meant. 
Though  tempted  to  do  so,  you  could  not  doubt 
your  conversion.  But  you  became  discour- 
aged. You  found  your  experience  uneven  and 
your  path  crooked.  One  day  you  were  on  the 
mountain  singing;  the  next  you  were  in  the 
valley  sighing.  Yet  you  had  the  sense  of  the 
Saviour’s  presence.  Your  heart  was  often 
warmed  by  His  love.  Indeed,  His  love  seemed 
never  more  tender  than  when  you  came  to 
Him  in  defeat.  Moreover,  you  had  answers  to 
prayer.  You  were,  however,  conscious  of 
much  weakness  and  many  failures  in  your  life. 
As  you  prayerfully  studied  the  Bible  and 
learned  that  God  is  holy  and  that  He  hates 
sin  and  requires  His  children  to  be  free  from 


46 


The  Crisis  of 


it,  your  heart  gladly  responded,  and  you  longed 
to  be  pure.  But  somehow  you  found  that 
you  could  not  overcome  the  evil  in  your  life. 
You  discovered  the  presence  of  something 
within  which  resisted  God,  rebelled  against 
His  law,  and  continually  brought  you  into  the 
bondage  of  defeat.  You  began  to  struggle 
against  this  inner  enemy  of  your  soul.  You 
promised  the  Lord  that  you  would  not  sin, 
but  you  could  not  keep  your  promise.  Will 
power  was  exerted  but  did  not  avail.  Resolu- 
tions were  made  but  broken  as  often  as  made. 
The  love  of  sin  was  gone,  but  its  power  was 
not  destroyed. 

Such  an  experience  as  this  comes  to  every 
child  of  God.  It  corresponds  spiritually  to  the 
wilderness  wanderings  of  the  children  of 
Israel.  In  Christian  typology  Egypt  repre- 
sents the  world;  the  crossing  of  the  Red  Sea 
represents  separation  from  the  world,  or  con- 
version ; the  passage  of  the  Jordan  represents 
the  death  of  self ; and  the  land  of  Canaan  rep- 
resents sanctification,  or  the  rest  of  faith  that 
remaineth  for  the  people  of  God.  But  be- 
tween the  Red  Sea  and  the  River  Jordan  was 
the  Wilderness  of  Sinai,  in  which  for  nearly 
forty  years  the  Israelites  wandered.  This  des- 
ert life  was  characterized  by  a “mixed  multi- 


Tbs?  Deeper  Life 


47 


tude”  and  a mixed  experience.  On  the  one 
hand,  there  were  many  manifestations  of 
Divine  favor  and  blessing.  The  pillar  of  cloud 
and  fire  led  the  people  in  the  way,  and  de- 
livered them  from  their  enemies.  (Exodus 
xiii.  21,  22.)  There  were  the  sweetened  waters 
of  Marah,  with  the  statute  and  promise  of 
physical  healing.  (Exodus  xv.  23-26.)  There 
were  the  twelve  wells  of  Elim  and  the  seventy 
palm  trees,  speaking  of  refreshment  and  spiri- 
tual rest.  (Exodus  xv.  27.)  Then  there  was 
the  manna,  which  fell  every  morning  and  fed 
the  people  throughout  their  journey.  (Exodus 
xvi.  1-5,  14-25.)  And  then  there  was  the 
smitten  rock,  which  followed  them  and  satis- 
fied their  thirst.  (Exodus  xvii.  1-7.)  Surely, 
the  wilderness  was  a place  of  Divine  presence, 
Divine  preservation,  Divine  promise,  and 
Divine  performance.  God  entered  the  desert 
with  His  people,  went  with  them  through  all 
their  pilgrimage,  and  abundantly  blessed  them. 

But  on  the  other  hand,  the  wilderness  was  a 
place  of  testing  and  trial,  ending  in  defeat  and 
disaster.  The  Israelites  murmured  against 
Moses  aad  Aaron.  (Exodus  xvi.  3.)  They 
longed  for  the  cucumbers,  the  melons,  the 
leeks  and  onions,  and  the  garlick  of  Egypt. 
(Numbers  xi.  5.)  Their  souls  loathed  the 


48 


The  Crisis  of 


light  manna,  and  they  lusted  for  flesh;  and 
because  of  this  they  were  bitten  by  the  fiery 
serpents.  (Numbers  xxi.  1-9.)  Moreover,  the 
people  often  disobeyed  the  Lord ; and  finally, 
at  KadeshBarnea,  they  openly  rebelled  against 
Him  by  refusing  at  His  command  to  enter  the 
land  of  promise.  They  lost  their  inheritance 
through  unbelief : 

“But  with  whom  was  He  grieved  forty 
years?  Was  it  not  with  them  that  had  sinned, 
whose  carcases  fell  in  the  wilderness?  And 
to  whom  sware  He  that  they  should  not  enter 
into  His  rest,  but  to  them  that  believed  not? 
So  we  see  that  they  could  not  enter  in  because 
of  unbelief.”  (Hebrews  iii.  17-19.) 

Thus,  with  all  their  blessing,  those  forty 
years  made  a record  of  constant  disobedience, 
continual  defeat,  and  consequent  disaster.  The 
end  was  death.  A whole  generation,  save 
Caleb  and  Joshua,  perished  in  the  wilderness. 

Now,  the  giving  of  the  law  at  Mount  Sinai 
was  largely  the  occasion  of  this  mixed  ex- 
perience of  the  Israelites.  The  law  was  indeed 
a revelation  of  the  holiness  and  justice  of  God. 
Moreover,  it  was  a Divine  standard  of  human 
character  and  conduct.  But  the  law  also  re- 
vealed the  sin  of  the  people  and  stirred  up  the 
evil  in  their  hearts  to  rebellion  against  God. 


The  Deeper  Life 


49 


It  was  not  that  the  law  was  at  fault.  Indeed, 
the  law  was  holy,  just,  and  good.  (Romans 
vii.  12.)  Nor  was  the  law  in  any  wise  a min- 
ister of  sin.  The  fault  lay,  not  at  all  with 
the  law,  but  entirely  with  the  people.  It  was 
powerless  because  of  their  weakness.  As  the 
reward  of  obedience  the  law  promised  life; 
but  as  the  penalty  of  disobedience  it  threat- 
ened death. 

“Ye  shall  therefore  keep  My  statutes,  and 
My  judgment;  which  if  a man  do,  he  shall 
live  in  them:  I am  the  Lord.”  (Leviticus  xviii. 
5-) 

“The  soul  that  sinneth,  it  shall  die.”  (Eze- 
kiel xviii.  20.) 

Moreover,  while  the  law  upheld  the  stand- 
ard of  perfect  righteousness,  it  also  condemned 
any  departure  therefrom. 

“Cursed  is  every  one  that  continueth  not 
in  all  things  which  are  written  in  the  book  of 
the  law  to  do  them.”  (Galatians  iii.  io.) 

Since,  however,  none  of  the  Israelites  could 
keep  the  law,  all  were  brought  under  its  curse. 
Indeed,  it  was  not  the  Divine  intention  that  the 
law  should  be  kept.  Its  purpose  was  rather  to 
include  all  under  sin,  in  order  that  all  might 
be  saved  by  grace.  So,  when  the  law  had  done 
its  work  of  revealing  and  condemning  sin, 


50 


The  Crisis  of 


the  guilty  and  penitent  Israelite  came  to  the 
tabernacle  with  its  priesthood  and  sacrifices, 
speaking  of  redemption  by  blood.  Thus  the 
law  was  a “schoolmaster”  to  bring  sinners 
to  Christ.  (Galatians  iii.  19-24.) 

This  mixed  religious  experience  is  also  un- 
folded in  the  seventh  chapter  of  Romans, 
which  may  be  regarded  as  the  New  Testament 
counterpart  of  the  wilderness  journeyings  of 
the  Israelites.  The  man  there  portrayed  be- 
gins his  Christian  life  like  a happy  child  in 
his  father’s  house.  He  has  been  saved  and  his 
life  is  full  of  joy  and  praise.  But  as  soon 
as  the  revelation  of  God’s  holy  law  is  made  to 
his  heart,  the  whole  situation  is  changed. 

Suddenly  he  becomes  alive  to  a depth  of 
iniquity  within,  whose  presence  he  had  not 
suspected.  The  old  nature  is  laid  bare  in  all 
its  exceeding  sinfulness  and  implacable  en- 
mity against  God.  And  yet  the  man  has  the 
witness  of  the  new  Divine  life  received 
through  the  birth  from  above.  Let  us  look  a 
little  at  this  graphic  portrayal,  noticing  the 
contending  forces,  the  unequal  contest,  and  the 
hopeless  defeat. 

First , the  contending  forces. 

There  are  two  opposing  forces — the  “I” 
of  the  natural  life  and  the  “I”  of  the  spiritual 


The  Deeper  Life 


5i 


life.  The  “I”  of  the  natural  life,  “the  old  man,” 
the  Apostle  variously  calls  “the  flesh”  (verse 
5)  ; “sin”  (v.  17)  ; “the  body  of  this  death,” 
(v.  24)  ; and  “I  myself”  (verse  25).  On  the 
other  hand,  he  refers  to  the  “I”  of  the  spiritual 
life  as  “the  inward  man”  (verse  22)  ; “the 
mind”  or  “my  mind”  (verses  23,  25). 

Second , the  unequal  contest. 

These  two  forces  are  opposite  in  character 
and  antagonistic  in  operation.  Jesus  said, 
“That  which  is  born  of  the  flesh  is  flesh ; and 
that  which  is  born  of  the  Spirit  is  spirit.” 
(John  iii.  6.)  Like  oil  and  water  they  do  not 
mix;  and  they  will  not  dwell  peaceably  to- 
gether. Unceasingly  they  contend  with  each 
other  for  the  mastery.  The  battle-ground  is 
the  Christian’s  heart,  and  the  coveted  prize  is 
the  Christian’s  life.  But  the  contest  is  un- 
equal ; for  while  the  new  man  of  the  heart 
struggles  on  alone,  the  old  man  is  re-inforced 
by  the  condemning  power  of  the  law  and  by 
the  subtle  wiles  of  Satan.  It  is  true  that  the 
personality  of  the  Devil  does  not  stand  out 
prominently  in  the  chapter;  but  the  flesh  is 
always  one  of  his  fields  of  operation.  More- 
over, in  the  unequal  conflict  with  the  flesh, 
fortified  by  the  powers  of  darkness,  the  Chris- 
tian is  like  a babe  in  a den  of  lions.  Listen 


ll  OF  ILL  LIBc 


52 


The  Crisis  of 


to  some  of  the  echoes  of  the  warfare  which 
show  how  bravely  but  helplessly  the  Christian 
struggles  alone: 

“Nay,  I had  not  known  sin,  but  by  the  law : 
for  I had  not  known  lust,  except  the  law  had 
said,  Thou  shalt  not  covet. 

“But  sin,  taking  occasion  by  the  command- 
ments, wrought  in  me  all  manner  of  concupis- 
cence. For  without  the  law  sin  was  dead. 

“For  I was  alive  without  the  law  once ; but 
when  the  commandment  came,  sin  revived, 
and  I died^  (verses  7-9.) 

“For  we  know  that  the  law  is  spiritual ; but 
I am  carnal,  sold  under  sin. 

“For  that  which  I do  I allow  not ; for  what 
I would,  that  do  I not;  but  what  I hate,  that 
do  I. 

“If  then  I do  that  which  I would  not,  I con- 
sent unto  the  law  that  it  is  good.”  (verses 
14-16.) 

“For  the  good  that  I would  I do  not;  but 
the  evil  which  I would  not,  that  I do. 

“Now  if  I do  that  I would  not,  it  is  no  more 
I that  do  it,  but  sin  that  dwelleth  in  me. 

“I  find,  then,  a law,  that  when  I would  do 
good,  evil  is  present  with  me. 

“For  I delight  in  the  law  of  God  after  the 
inward  man : 


The  Deeper  Life 


53 


“But  I see  another  law  in  my  members,  war- 
ring against  the  law  of  my  mind,  and  bringing 
me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin  which  is 
in  my  members.”  (verses  19-23.) 

Third,  the  hopeless  defeat. 

Worn  out  at  last  by  his  weary  struggle  and 
fruitless  efforts  the  Christian  reluctantly  gives 
up  the  unequal  contest.  He  is  unable  single- 
handed  to  subdue  sin  and  conquer  self.  Hear 
his  despairing  cry,  as  he  realizes  that  he  is 
worsted  in  the  fight : 

“O  wretched  man  that  I am!  Who  shall 
deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?” 
(verse  24.) 

But  his  cry  for  re-inforcements  is  heard ; 
and  just  before  he  sinks  under  a threatening 
mortal  blow  of  his  enemy,  the  Deliverer  ap- 
pears on  the  scene,  riding  triumphantly  over 
the  foe.  “Who  is  this  that  cometh  from 
Edom,  with  dyed  garments  from  Bozrah? 
this  that  is  glorious  in  His  apparel,  travelling 
in  the  greatness  of  His  strength  ? I that  speak 
in  righteousness,  MIGHTY  TO  SAVEr 
Exultantly  the  Christian  shouts,  “I  thank  God 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.”  (verse  25.) 

Now,  just  what  does  this  mixed  Christian 
experience  mean?  In  a word,  it  means  that  we 
know  Christ  as  our  righteousness  but  not  as 


54 


The  Crisis  of 


our  sanctification.  We  are  converted,  but  we 
have  not  been  made  partakers  of  His  holiness. 
Mighty  is  the  transformation  wrought  by  con- 
version and  the  new  birth ; but  after  all,  these 
are  only  the  initial  experiences  of  the  Christian 
life.  We  get  a good  deal,  but  we  do  not  get 
everything,  in  conversion.  Nor  does  conver- 
sion give  us  the  germ,  the  embryo,  out  of 
which  everything  comes  by  a process  of 
growth  and  development.  Conversion  imparts 
a new  spiritual  life  and  takes  away  the  love  of 
sin,  but  it  does  not  change  the  old  heart  nor 
destroy  the  power  of  sin.  Conversion  alone 
means  constant  struggles  and  certain  defeats 
in  warfare  with  sin  and  self.  Victory  is 
assured  only  through  the  reception  of  the 
Holy  Spirit  and  the  indwelling  of  the  risen 
Christ.  But  this  involves  a new  experience,  a 
second  definite  work  of  grace — a crisis  as 
radical  and  revolutionary  as  the  crisis  of  the 
new  birth.  In  regeneration,  we  pass  out  of 
death  into  life ; but  in  sanctification  we  pass 
out  of  the  self-life  into  the  Christ-life.  In  re- 
generation we  receive  a “new  spirit in  sanc- 
tification we  receive  the  Holy  Spirit  to  indwell 
the  “new  spirit.,> 

“ a new  spirit  will  I give  you  ; 

“ and  I will  put  My  Spirit  within 


The  Deeper  Life 


55 


you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  My  statutes, 
and  ye  shall  keep  My  judgments,  and  do  them.” 
(Ezekiel  xxxvi.  26,  27.) 

Beloved,  have  you  a mixed  Christian  ex- 
perience— occasional  victories  but  more  fre- 
quent defeats  in  your  struggles  to  subdue  sin 
and  conquer  self?  Then  you  are  living  ii> 
the  wilderness.  You  are  living  in  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Romans.  You  have 
taken  Christ  as  your  Saviour ; you  have  be- 
come a child  of  God ; you  have  received  the  wit. 
ness  of  the  Spirit;  you  are  assured  that  you 
are  “accepted  in  the  Beloved.”  But  you  have 
come  under  the  convicting  power  of  the  law ; 
and  in  its  light  you  have  seen  the  depth  of 
iniquity  in  your  heart.  Your  efforts  to  please 
God  have  failed.  Your  struggles  against 
temptation  have  worn  you  out.  Have  you 
become  discouraged  ? Have  you  begun  to 
wonder  if  this  is  all  the  Christian  life  means — 
unsatisfied  longings  and  constant  defeats  ? 
Have  you  about  settled  down  in  grim  deter- 
mination to  fight  out  the  battle  as  best  you 
can?  Has  the  despairing  cry  that  was  wrung 
from  Paul’s  anguished  heart  escaped  your 
lips?  “Oh,  wretched  man  that  I am!  Who 
shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ?” 

Struggling  child  of  God,  I come  to  you 


56 


The  Crisis  of 


as  the  bearer  of  good  news.  I tell  you  that 
just  beyond  the  wilderness  lies  the  Land  of 
Promise,  where  you  will  find  rest  and  faith, 
victory  instead  of  defeat,  and  complete  satis- 
faction for  every  spiritual  longing.  I tell 
you  that  after  the  seventh  chapter  comes  the 
eighth  chapter  of  Romans,  with  its  power  over 
sin,  its  victory  over  self,  and  its  fulness  of 
blessing  in  Christ  Jesus.  The  seventh  chapter 
represents  the  best  the  believer  can  do  alone: 
the  eighth  chapter  represents  the  best  Christ 
can  do  in  the  believer.  The  one  is  a sad  story 
of  darkness,  disaster,  and  despair : the  other  is 
a glorious  record  of  light,  life,  and  liberty. 
What  makes  all  this  vast  difference?  The 
abiding  presence  and  personal  indwelling 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  In  the  seventh 
chapter,  the  Holy  Ghost  is  not  seen ; 
the  believer  fights  his  battles  alone  against 
the  triple  power  of  the  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil.  But  in  the  eighth  chapter  the  Holy 
Ghost  is  introduced;  He  personally  indwells 
the  believer,  and  gives  him  complete  and 
glorious  triumph  over  all  his  foes.  In  a word, 
in  the  seventh  chapter  the  Holy  Ghost  is  with 
the  believer ; but  in  the  eighth  chapter  He  is 
zvithin  him.  The  keynote  of  the  seventh 
chapter  of  Romans  is : 


The  Deeper  Life 


57 


“But  I see  another  law  in  my  member,  war- 
ring against  the  law  of  my  mind,  and  bringing 
me  into  captivity  to  the  law  of  sin  and  death.” 
(verse  23.) 

The  keynote  of  the  eighth  chapter,  however, 
is : 

“For  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life  in  Christ 
Jesus  hath  made  me  free  from  the  law  of  sin 
and  death.”  (verse  2.) 

Beloved,  may  you  leave  the  wilderness  with 
its  disappointment,  defeat,  and  despair,  and 
enter  the  Land  of  Promise  with  its  milk  and 
honey  and  corn  and  oil  and  wine.  May  you 
move  out  of  the  seventh  chapter  of  Romans 
with  its  strain,  struggle  and  sorrow,  and  live 
in  the  eighth  chapter  with  its  rest  and  peace 
and  joy  and  power  and  triumph.  Then 
through  the  indwelling  of  the  blessed  Com- 
forter you  will  be  victorious  over  sin ; you  will 
walk  well  pleasing  unto  God ; and  your  life 
will  be  “one  glad,  sweet  song.” 


Chapter  IV. 


THE  POISON  OF  SIN 

HAT,  then,  is  the  cause  of  the 
Wilderness  Experience  of  the 
Christian,  and  what  is  the  cure? 
These  questions  lead  us  at  once 
into  the  heart  of  our  theme.  Brief- 
ly, we  may  say,  the  cause  of  the 
continual  struggles  and  constant 
defeats  after  conversion  is  the 
Satanic  poison  of  sin.  And  the  Divine  anti- 
dote for  the  Satanic  poison  of  sin  is  Holiness. 
But  what  is  sin? 

The  origin  of  sin  is  wrapped  in  obscurity; 
the  Scriptures  throw  little  light  on  the  subject. 
Its  introduction  into  the  human  race,  however, 
is  recorded  in  the  third  chapter  of  Genesis., 
It  came  in  a four-fold  way,  viz., 

1.  Through  woman’s  deception.  (I.  Tim- 
othy ii.  14.) 

2.  Through  man’s  disobedience.  (Romans 
V.  9.) 

Through  the  serpent's  enticement, 
f Genesis  iii.  1-6.) 

4.  Through  Satan’s  malignity.  (Revela- 
tion xii.  9.) 


The  Deeper  Life 


59 


Sin  is  a sad  and  terrible  reality.  This  fact 
may  be  proved  in  three  ways,  namely:  the 
teaching  of  Scripture,  the  testimony  of  man- 
kind, and  the  witness  of  consciousness. 

The  teaching  of  the  Scriptures  is  clear  and 
unmistakable;  for  example: 

“Behold  the  Lamb  of  God,  which  taketh 
away  the  sin  of  the  world.”  (John  i.  29.) 

“For  all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the 
glory  of  God.”  (Romans  iii.  23.) 

“But  the  Scriptures  hath  concluded  all 
under  sin , that  the  promise  by  faith  might  be 
given  to  all  them  that  believe.”  (Galatians  iii. 
22.) 

The  testimony  of  mankind  to  the  fact  of  sin 
has  been  enacted  into  governmental  legisla- 
tion, has  found  recognition  in  every  false  re- 
ligion, and  is  reflected  in  secular  literature. 
The  Roman  philosopher  Seneca  said:  “We 

have  all  sinned,  some  more  and  some  less.” 
The  Roman  poet  Ovid  wrote:  “We  all  strive 
for  what  is  forbidden.”  Goethe,  the  German 
poet  and  philosopher,  confessed,  “I  see  no 
fault  which  I myself  might  not  have  com- 
mitted.” A Chinese  proverb  runs,  “There 
are  two  good  men ; one  is  dead,  and  the  othe:' 
is  not  yet  born.” 

Consciousness  gives  no  uncertain  witness  to 


6o 


The  Crisis  of 


the  existence  of  sin.  Every  one  knows  that  he 
is  a sinner.  No  one  of  responsible  years  has 
ever  lived  free  from  the  sense  of  personal 
guilt  and  moral  defilement;  remorse  of  con- 
science for  wrong  doing  hounds  all  the  sons 
and  daughters  of  Adam ; while  the  sad  and 
terrible  consequences  of  sin  are  seen  in  the 
mental,  moral,  and  physical  deterioration  of 
the  race. 

But  men  do  not  agree  with  the  testimony 
of  God  that  sin  is  “exceeding  sinful/’  There 
are  those  who  go  so  far  as  to  deny  the  very 
existence  of  sin.  Others  regard  it  as  an  acci- 
dent or  as  an  infirmity  or  disease.  Some  in- 
deed call  it  “an  amiable  weakness.”  Others 
still,  consider  it  as  fatalism — a dread  neces- 
sity to  mortal  existence.  And  not  a few  look 
upon  sin  as  not  altogether  undesirable — as  a 
sort  of  means  of  grace  which  is  an  aid  to 
humility. 

Now,  in  order  to  get  a clear  understanding 
of  what  sin  is,  let  us  examine  the  Scriptures. 

I.  Words  for  Sin  in  the  Old  Testament. 

i.  The  most  common  Hebrew  word  for  sin 
signifies,  literally,  to  miss  the  mark.  In  the 
original  sense  it  is  found  in  Judges  xx.  16: 
“Among  all  this  people  there  were  seven  hun- 
dred chosen  men,  left-handed,  every  one  could 


The  Deeper  Life 


61 


sling  a stone  at  a hair  breadth,  and  not  miss.” 
With  its  derivative  forms  this  word  means 
any  moral  deviation  from  the  Divine  goal: — 
a going  beyond,  a coming  short,  or  a falling 
aside. 

'‘If  thou  doest  well,  shalt  thou  not  be  ac- 
cepted? and  if  thou  doest  not  well,  sin  lieth 
(literally,  croucheth  like  a wild  beast)  at  the 
door.”  (Genesis  iv.  7.) 

Not  only  wilful  and  ignorant  acts  of  sin 
but  also  evil  states  and  dispositions  are  in- 
cluded within  the  scope  of  this  Hebrew  word. 

2.  Another  word  signifies  bent  or  twisted 
(see  Isaiah  xxi.  3),  and  means  moral  perverse- 
ness or  iniquity — “the  distortion  of  nature 
caused  by  evil  doing.”  Our  English  word 
wrong,  i.  e.  that  which  is  wrung  out,  of  course, 
expresses  the  idea  exactly. 

“I  acknowledged  my  sin  unto  Thee,  and 
mine  iniquity  have  I not  hid.  I said,  I will 
confess  my  transgressions  unto  the  Lord ; and 
Thou  forgavest  the  iniquity  of  my  sin !’ 
(Psalm  xxxii.  5.) 

3.  Another  word,  whose  root  signifies 
stormy  excitement,  means  the  habit  of  evil ; 
sin  in  the  disposition.  It  is  the  opposite  of 
righteousness. 

“But  the  wicked  are  like  the  troubled  sea, 


6 2 


The  Crisis  of 


when  it  cannot  rest,  whose  waters  cast  up  mire 
and  dirt.  There  is  no  peace,  saith  my  God, 
to  the  wicked.”  (Isaiah  lvii.  20,  21.) 

4.  Another  word  is  used  for  a revolt  against 
rightful  authority ; that  is,  apostacy,  or  re- 
bellion. It  is  commonly  translated  in  the  A. 
V.  by  the  word  “transgression.” 

“For  I acknowledged  my  transgression ; and 
my  sin  is  ever  before  me.”  (Psalm  li.  3.) 

5.  Another  word  means  to  cross  over  a 
line ; or,  go  beyond.  It  is  usually  rendered  in 
the  A.  V.  “transgress.” 

“Thou  hast  proved  mine  heart;  Thou  hast 
visited  me  in  the  night;  Thou  hast  tried  me, 
and  shalt  find  nothing ; I am  purposed  that  my 
mouth  shall  not  transgress .”  (Psalm  xvii. 

3) 

6.  Another  word,  which  literally  signifies 
to  blow,  represents  sin  in  the  aspect  of  vanity 
or  nothingness. 

“Behold,  they  are  all  vanity ; their  works  are 
nothing;  their  molten  images  are  wind  and 
confusion.”  (Isaiah  xli.  29.) 

7.  Still  another  word  refers  to  the  hard- 
ening of  the  heart — the  highest  degree  of  sin ; 
stubbornness,  obduracy. 

“And  the  Lord  said  unto  Moses,  When  thou 
goest  to  return  unto  Egypt,  see  that  thou  do 


The  Deeper  Life 


63 


all  these  wonders  before  Pharoah,  which  I 
have  put  in  thine  hand;  but  I will  harden  his 
hearty  that  he  will  not  let  My  people  go.” 
(Exodus  iv.  21.)  That  is,  the  Lord  gave 
Pharoah  up  to  the  hardening  of  his  own 
heart.  See  also  Joshua  xi.  20;  I.  Samuel  vi. 
6;  Psalm  xcv.  8;  Proverbs  xxviii.  14;  Mark 
viii.  17;  John  xii.  40;  Romans  ix.  18;  Hebrews 
iii.  8,  15;  iv.  7. 

But  the  Hebrew  words  that  are  translated 
sin  or  that  mean  sin  in  one  form  or  another 
are  far  too  numerous  to  be  considered  separ- 
ately. But  among  those  that  remain  the  fol- 
lowing may  be  mentioned : fault,  Leviticus  iv. 
3;  go  astray,  Leviticus  iv.  13;  transgress 
through  ignorance,  Leviticus  iv.  13;  wander, 
Ezekiel  xxxiv.  6;  backslide,  Psalm  cxix.  21; 
guilt  or  guilt  offering,  Isaiah  liii.  10;  error,  or 
failure,  Leviticus  xix.  17;  trespass,  Proverbs 
x.  12)  mischief,  Psalm  xciv.  20;  misery,  Hab- 
bakuk  i.  13;  et.,  etc. 

II.  Words  for  Sin  in  the  New  Testament. 

1.  It  is  remarkable  that  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment Greek,  as  well  as  in  the  Old  Testament 
Hebrew,  the  most  common  word  for  sin  sig- 
nifies, literally,  to  miss  the  mark . This  word 
occurs  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  times, 
seventy-one  times  in  the  writings  of  the  Apos- 


The  Crisis  of 


64 

tie  Paul.  It  expresses  the  state  of  iniquity  as 
well  as  the  act  of  sin. 

“For  all  have  sinned  and  come  short  of  the 
glory  of  God.”  (Romans  iii.  23.) 

Thus,  sin  is  a "coming  short  of  the  glory  of 
God.” 

“Wherefore,  as  by  one  man  sin  entered  into 
the  world,  and  death  by  sin;  and  so  death 
passed  upon  all  men,  for  that  all  have  sinned.” 
(Romans  v.  12.) 

2.  Another  word  means  the  over-passing  or 
over-stepping  of  a line  of  duty.  It  is  always 
used  of  the  “violation  of  a positive  law,  an 
express  precept  with  an  express  sanction.” 

“ And  Adam  was  not  deceived,  but  the 
woman  being  deceived  was  in  the  transgress- 
ion.” (I.  Timothy  ii.  14). 

3.  Another  word  means  a fall  or  failure — 
a falling  where  one  should  have  stood. 

“Brethren,  if  a man  be  overtaken  in  a fault, 
ye  which  are  spiritual,  restore  such  an  one  in 
the  spirit  of  meekness;  considering  thyself, 
lest  thou  also  be  tempted.”  (Gal.  vi.  1.) 

This  Greek  word  is  variously  translated  in 
the  A.  V.,  viz.,  trespass,  Matthew  vi.  14 ; sins, 
Ephesians  i.  7;  faults,  James  v.  16. 

4.  Another  word  means  lawlessness,  or 
anarchy. 


The  Deeper  Life 


e>5 


“Whosoever  committeth  sin  transgresseth 
also  the  law;  for  sin  is  lawlessness/'  (I.  John 
iii.  4.) 

5.  Another  word  means  ignorance  of  what 
one  should  have  known. 

“But  into  the  second  went  the  high  priest 
alone  once  every  year,  not  without  blood, 
which  he  offered  for  himself  and  for  the 
errors  of  his  people."  (Hebrews  ix.  7.) 

6.  Another  word  means  the  diminishing  of 
that  which  one  should  have  rendered  in  full. 

Now,  therefore,  there  is  utterly  a fault 
among  you,  because  ye  go  to  law  one  with 
another.  Why  do  ye  not  rather  take  wrong? 
Why  do  ye  not  rather  suffer  yourselves  to  be 
defrauded?"  (I.  Corinthians  vi.  7.) 

7.  Another  word  means  disobedience  to  a 
voice. 

“For  if  the  word  spoken  by  angels  was 
steadfast,  and  every  transgression  and  dis- 
obedience received  a just  recompense  of  re- 
ward ; How  shall  we  escape,  if  we  neglect  so 
great  salvation.  . . " (Hebrews  ii.  2,3.) 

8.  Still  another  word  means  a debt  or  an 
offense. 

“And  forgive  us  our  debts , as  we  forgive 
our  debtors."  (Matthew  vi.  12.) 

Instances  of  other  New  Testament  words 


66 


The  Crisis  of 


which  describe  various  forms  of  sin  are: — 
ungodliness,  unrighteousness,  Romans  i.  18; 
lust,  Romans  i.  24;  fornication,  wickedness, 
covetousness,  maliciousness,  envy,  deceit,  mal- 
ignity, murder,  Romans  i.  29,  31 ; enmity, 
Romans  viii.  7;  flesh,  adultery,  uncleanness, 
lasciviousness,  idolatry,  witchcraft,  hatred, 
variance,  emulations,  drunkenness,  revellings, 
Galatians  v.  19-21 ; evil,  bitterness,  wrath, 
anger,  clamour,  malice,  Ephesians  iv.  31,  etc., 
etc. 

III.  Scripture  Definitions  of  Sin. 

There  are  in  the  Scriptures  seven  definitions 
of  sin. 

1.  Proverbs  xxi.  4:  “A  high  look,  and  a 

proud  heart,  and  a sowing  of  the  wicked  is 
sin.” 

2.  Proverbs  xxiv.  9 : “The  thought  of  fool- 
ishness is  sin.”  The  word  thought  here  has 
the  force  of  pre-meditation. 

3.  John  xvi.  8,  9:  “And  when  He  is  come 
He  will  reprove  the  world  of  sin,  and  of  right- 
eousness, and  of  judgment;  Of  sin  because 
they  believe  not  on  Me.” 

4.  Romans  xiv.  23:  “Whatsoever  is  not 

of  faith  is  sin.” 

5.  James  iv.  17:  “Wherefore  to  him  that 


The  Deeper  Life  6 7 

knoweth  to  do  good  and  doeth  it  not,  to  him 
it  is  sin.” 

6.  I.  John  iii.  4:  “Sin  is  the  transgression 
of  the  law.”  (R.  V.  lawlessness.) 

7.  I.  John  v.  17:  “All  unrighteousness  is 

sin.” 

IV.  Theological  Definitions  of  Sin. 

The  following  definitions  of  sin  are  based  on 
the  Scriptures. 

1.  Sin  is  the  transgression  of,  or  lack  of 
conformity  to,  the  law  of  God. 

2.  Sin  is  inordinate  desire,  or  concupi- 
scence. 

3.  Sin  is  deficiency  of  love  to  God  and  man. 

4.  Sin  is  preference  of  self  to  God. 

5.  Sin  is  insubordination. 

6.  Sin  is  lack  of  conformity  to  God  or  His 
moral  law  in  act , disposition,  or  state. 

V.  Summary  of  Scripture  Teaching  Con- 
cerning Sin. 

A careful  review  of  the  teaching  of  the 
Scriptures  concerning  sin,  which  has  here 
been  presented,  discloses  the  fact  that  sin  may 
be  viewed  in  four  aspects,  namely:  towards 
God,  towards  the  Divine  Law,  towards  man, 
and  towards  self. 

First,  towards  God  sin  is  either  rebellion  or 
failure  to  love  Him  supremely. 


68 


The  Crisis  of 


a . Rebellion : 

“For  rebellion  is  as  the  sin  of  witchcraft, 
and  stubbornness  is  as  iniquity  and  idolatry.” 
(I.  Samuel  xv.  23.) 

b.  Failure  to  love  Him  supremely: 

“And  thou  shalt  love  the  Lord  thy  God 
with  all  thine  heart,  and  with  all  thy  soul, 
and  with  all  thy  might.”  (Deuteronomy  vi. 
5 ; see  also  Mark  xii.  30.) 

Second,  towards  the  Divine  Law  sin  is 
either  wilful  transgression  or  violation 
through  ignorance. 

a.  Wilful  transgression. 

“But  the  soul  that  doeth  ought  presumptu- 
ously (literally,  with  a high  hand),  whether 
he  be  born  in  the  land  or  a stranger,  that  soul 
shall  be  cut  off ; his  iniquity  shall  be  upon 
him.”  (Numbers  xv.  30;  see  also  Psalm  xix. 
I3-) 

b.  Violation  through  ignorance. 

“And  if  any  soul  sin  through  ignorance, 
then  he  shall  bring  a she  goat  of  the  first  year 
for  a sin  offering.”  (Numbers  xv.  27;  see 
also  Hebrews  ix.  7.) 

Third,  towards  man  sin  is  either  injustice 
or  failure  to  love  him  as  one  self. 

a.  Injustice. 

“Thou  shalt  not  defraud  thy  neighbor, 


The  Deeper  Life 


69 


neither  rob  him;  the  wages  of  him  that  is 
hired  shall  not  abide  with  thee  all  night  until 
the  morning.”  (Leviticus  xix.  13;  see  also 
Micah  vi.  8 ; Romans  i.  18) 

b.  Failure  to  love  him  as  oneself. 

“But  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thy- 
self.” Leviticus  xix.  18;  see  also  Mark  xii. 

31) 

Fourth,  towards  oneself  sin  is  either  self- 
ishness or  corruption. 

a.  Selfishness.  That  is  “selfness ;”  or,  the 
self-life. 

“ If  any  man  will  come  after  Me,  let 

him  deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross  and 
follow  Me,”  (Matthew  xvi.  25.) 

“He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it.”  (John 
xii.  25.) 

b.  Corruption. 

“Behold,  I was  shapen  in  iniquity;  and  in 
sin  did  my  mother  conceive  me.”  (Psalm  li. 
5-) 


Chapter  V. 


THE  ANTIDOTE  FOR  SIN 

Holiness  in  the  Old  Testament. 

THE  Divine  antidote  for  the  Satanic 
poison  of  sin  is  holiness.  We  have 
M7  seen  what  sin  is.  Now  let  us  try 
to  understand  what  holiness  is. 

Wi  We  will  study  the  subject,  first 

W in  the  Old  Testament,  and  then  in 
\ the  New  Testament. 

J Holiness  is  an  attribute  of  God 
and  a requirement  of  the  people  of  God. 

“And  the  Lord  spake  unto  Moses  saying, 
Speak  unto  the  children  of  Israel,  and  say  unto 
them  Ye  shall  be  holy;  for  I the  Lord  your 
God  am  holy.”  (Leviticus  xix.  i,  2.) 

“Sanctify  yourselves  therefore,  and  be  ye 
holy:  for  I am  the  Lord  your  God.”  (Leviti- 
cus xx.  7.) 

“Thou  shalt  sanctify  him  therefore;  for  he 
offereth  the  bread  of  thy  God ; he  shall  be  holy 
unto  thee ; for  I the  Lord,  which  sanctify 
you,  am  holy.”  (Leviticus  xxi.  8.) 

“But  as  He  which  calleth  you  is  holy,  so 
be  ye  holy  in  all  manner  of  conversation; 


The  Deeper  Life 


71 


because  it  is  written,  Be  ye  holy;  for  I am 
holy.”  (I.  Peter  i.  16.) 

As  a Divine  attribute  holiness  is  purity , and 
purity  is  essential  to  the  Being  of  God. 
God  is  a Being  Who  in  nature,  position,  and 
attributes  is  separate  from  all  other  beings, 
and  is  pure  from  every  thought,  feeling,  and 
deed  of  evil.  The  people  of  God,  therefore, 
are  to  separate  themselves  from  the  world  and 
from  the  things  of  the  world  and,  like  God, 
be  pure  from  every  thought,  feeling,  and  deed 
of  evil.  Thus,  as  a requirement  of  believers 
holiness  or  sanctification — the  two  words  have 
the  same  meaning  and  are  inter-changeable  in 
use — is  purity;  and  when  he  takes  Christ  to 
be  “made  unto  him  sanctification,”  the  child 
of  God  becomes  partaker  of  the  purity  of  God 
in  Christ  through  the  personal  indwelling  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

I.  The  Signification  of  the  word  for  Holi- 
ness. 

The  Hebrew  word  commonly  translated 
holy  or  holiness  in  the  Authorized  Version  is 
Kadesh.  In  its  various  forms  it  signifies  the 
being  set  apart  for  the  ivork  of  God.  The 
nearest  English  equivalent  of  the  Hebrew 
word  is  sacred.  Says  Canon  Girdlestone ; “The 
terms  'sanctification’  and  'holiness’  are  now 


72 


The  Crisis  of 


used  so  frequently  to  represent  moral  and 
spiritual  qualities,  that  they  hardly  convey  to 
the  reader  the  idea  of  the  position  or  rela- 
tionship as  existing  between  God  and  some 
person  or  thing  consecrated  to  Him ; yet  this 
appears  to  be  the  real  meaning  of  the  word/' 
Separation  for  service — this  is  the  fundamental 
idea  of  the  Hebrew  word  “Kadesh.” 

II.  The  Application  of  the  word  for  Holi- 
ness. 

The  Hebrew  word  has  a varied  application. 

First , to  Places  and  Objects;  for  example: 

1.  Heaven  is  holy,  Psalm  xx.  6. 

2.  Mount  Sinai  was  holy,  Psalm  lxviii.  17. 

3.  The  land  of  Canaan  was  holy,  Zechar- 
iah  ii.  13. 

4.  The  ground  where  Jehovah  revealed 
Himself  to  Moses  was  holy,  Exodus  iii.  5. 

5.  The  king's  chapel  was  holy,  Amos  vii.  13. 

6.  The  house  or  field  set  apart  for  God  was 
holy,  Leviticus  xxvii.  14,  16. 

7.  The  City  of  Jerusalem  was  holy,  Nehe- 
miah  xi.  1. 

8.  The  walls  and  gates  of  the  city  were  holy, 
Nehemiah  iii.  1. 

9.  The  tabernacle  was  holy,  Exodus  xxix. 

43* 


The  Deeper  Life 


73 


io  The  temple  was  holy,  I.  Kings  ix.  3. 

11.  The  hill  of  Zion  was  holy,  Psalm  ii.  6. 

1 2.  The  camp  of  Israel  was  holy,  Deuter- 
onomy xxiii.  14. 

13.  The  sanctuary  was  holy,  Exodus  xxv.  8. 

14.  The  altar  was  holy,  Exodus  xxix.  36. 

15.  The  gifts  and  offerings  placed  on  the 
altar  were  holy,  Exodus  xxviii.  38 ; xxix.  27. 

Second , to  Times;  for  example: 

1.  The  Sabbath  was  holy,  Genesis  ii.  3; 
Exodus  xx.  8,  11. 

2.  The  day  set  apart  for  a fast  was  holy, 
Joel  i.  14. 

3.  The  fiftieth  year  of  jubilee  was  holy, 

Leviticus  xxv.  10.  , 

Third , to  Persons ; for  example : 

1.  The  first-born  of  Israel  was  holy,  Exodus 
xiii.  2. 

2.  The  people  of  Israel  were  holy,  Deuter- 
onomy vii.  6. 

3.  The  assembly  of  Israel  was  holy,  Psalm 
lxxxix.  7 ; Joel  ii.  16. 

4.  The  “ man  of  God”  was  holy,  II.  Kings 
iv.  9. 

5.  The  prophet  Jeremiah  was  holy,  Jere- 
miah i.  5. 


74 


The  Crisis  of 


6.  The  guests  at  a sacrificial  feast  were  holy, 
Zephaniah  i.  7 (margin). 

7.  The  saints,  or  people  dedicated  to  God, 
whether  angels  or  men,  were  holy,  Job  i.  5 ; 
xv.  15;  Psalm  xvi.  3;  xxxiv.  9;  Isaiah  iv.  3; 
Daniel  iv.  13;  vii.  18,  21,  22,  25,  27;  viii  13, 
24 ; Zechariah  xiv.  5. 

Now,  when  we  come  to  examine  closely  into 
the  meaning  of  the  sanctification  of  places, 
objects,  and  persons,  we  find  that  in  every  one 
of  the  instances  mentioned  the  underlying 
thought  is  contact  with  God . Thus,  Heaven 
is  holy,  because  there  is  the  throne  of  God. 
Mount  Sinai  is  holy,  because  there  God  gave 
Israel  His  law.  The  land  of  Canaan  is  holy, 
because  God  has  chosen  it  as  the  permanent 
possession  of  His  people.  Jerusalem  is  holy, 
because  God  has  chosen  it  for  the  manifesta- 
tion of  His  name.  The  temple  was  holy,  be- 
cause therein  the  symbol  of  God’s  presence  was 
visible.  The  Sabbath  was  holy,  because  God  had 
chosen  it  as  His  day  of  rest.  Israel  was  holy, 
because  from  among  all  nations  God  had 
chosen  this  nation  to  be  His  “peculiar  people.” 
The  priests  were  holy,  because  they  ministered 
in  the  service  of  the  Lord.  The  prophets 
were  holy,  because  they  spoke  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord,  And  the  kings  were  holy,  because 


The  Deeper  Life 


75 


they  ruled  in  the  stead  of  the  Lord.  Indeed, 
in  every  example  of  holiness  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment this  fundamental  idea  of  contact  with 
God  is  prominent. 

Besides  the  application  of  the  word  holy  or 
holiness  to  places,  objects,  and  persons,  the 
expressions  are  used,  as  we  have  already  seen, 
of  the  Divine  Being,  thus:  God  is  holy,  Joshua 
xxiv.  19;  Jehovah,  or  the  Lord  God,  is  holy,  I. 
Samuel  vi.  20 ; the  Divine  Spirit  is  holy,  Psalm 
li.  11 ; Isaiah  lxiii.  10,  11.  We  may  also  refer 
to  such  expressions  as  the  following:  “Holy 

and  reverend  is  His  name/'  Psalm  cxi.  9: 
“Holy,  holy,  holy,  is  the  Lord  of  Hosts,” 
Isaiah  vi.  3 ; “They  shall  sanctify  My  name, 
and  sanctify  the  Holy  One  of  Jacob,”  Isaiah 
xxix.  23 ; “Thy  testimonies  are  very  sure ; 
holiness  becometh  thine  house,”  Psalm  xciii. 
5 ; “Give  thanks  at  the  remembrance  of  His 
holiness,”  Psalm  xcvii.  12;  “The  Holy  One 
of  Israel,”  II.  Kings  xix.  22 ; Psalm  lxxi.  22 ; 
Isaiah  x.  17;  xlix.  7;  “Beauty  of  holiness,”  I. 
Chronicles  xvi.  29 ; Psalm  xxix.  2 ; xcvi.  9 ; 
“Holiness  unto  the  Lord,”  Exodus  xxviii. 
36;  xxxix.  30. 

III.  The  Use  of  the  word  Holiness. 

The  use  of  the  word  holiness  or  sanctifica- 
tion in  the  Old  Testament  is  two-fold,  namely: 


76 


The  Crisis  of 


Ceremonial  and  Moral.  Ceremonial  holiness 
is  official  holiness — the  holiness  of  position  or 
relationship.  Moral  holiness  is  personal  holiness 
— the  holiness  of  renewed  character  and  right- 
eous conduct.  Ceremonial  holiness  belongs  to 
both  persons  and  things ; while  moral  holiness 
belongs  only  to  persons. 

First,  Ceremonial  Holiness. 

Ceremonial  holiness,  then,  is  the  holiness  of 
an  office — the  external  holiness  of  position  or 
relationship.  In  its  essence  it  is  sacredness . 
It  is  the  only  kind  of  holiness  that  can  belong 
to  things.  Thus,  the  City  of  Jerusalen,  the 
Sabbath  day,  and  the  temple  and  all  its  furni- 
ture, even  down  to  the  implements  of  the  altar, 
were  holy  or  sacred,  because  they  had  all  been 
set  apart  for  the  worship  and  service  of  Je- 
hovah. On  the  other  hand,  the  whole  nation 
of  Israel,  and  all  the  prophets,  priests,  and 
kings,  were  holy,  because  in  a special  and 
peculiar  way  they  had  been  brought  into 
direct  contact  with  Jehovah . Thus,  the  kings 
were  the  vice-regents  of  God,  and  as  the 
chosen  rulers  in  His  stead,  were  holy.  Again, 
the  priests  were  the  ministers  of  sacrifice  and 
worship,  and  as  the  chosen  mediators  between 
Jehovah  and  Israel,  were  holy.  Again,  the 
prophets  were  primarily  preachers  of  right- 


The  Deeper  Life 


77 


eousness,  and  as  the  chosen  vehicles  of  Divine- 
truth  were  holy.  And  finally,  the  Israelites  had 
been  redeemed  out  of  the  house  of  bondage, 
and  as  the  chosen  people  of  God,  were  holy. 

Now,  as  a nation  Israel  was  ceremonially 
holy,  but  not  morally  holy.  Separated  from  all 
other  nations,  dedicated  to  God  by  a solemn 
covenant,  and  appointed  to  become  the  channel 
of  blessing  to  the  v/hole  earth,  the  Hebrew 
race  had  been  brought  into  special  and  direct 
contact  with  Jehovah.  The  law  of  Moses  ex- 
acted absolute  conformity  to  its  lofty  require- 
ments ; and  these  requirements  covered  the  in- 
ward motive  as  well  as  the  outward  action. 
Perfect  holiness  was  enjoined  upon  the  people 
in  all  their  relations  to  Jehovah  and  in  all 
their  dealings  with  one  another.  But  the 
obedience  which  Israel  rendered  was  to  the 
letter  and  not  to  the  spirit  of  the  law.  There 
was  outward  conformation  of  conduct  but  not 
inward  transformation  of  character.  In  other 
words,  the  holiness  of  the  people,  as  a people, 
was  ceremonial  and  not  moral.  Take,  for  ex- 
ample, the  teaching  of  the  book  of  Leviticus. 
Its  keynote  is:  “A  holy  God  will  have  a holy 
people.”  In  chapters  nineteen  and  twenty 
there  is  a summary  of  sundry  laws  concerning 
the  relation  of  the  people  to  Jehovah  and  their 


78 


The  Crisis  of 


relation  to  one  another.  These  laws  are  search- 
ing, affecting  character  as  well  as  conduct. 
Can  we  for  one  moment  think  that  God  would 
have  been  satisfied  with  anything  less  than 
perfect  obedience  to  these  and  all  other  laws 
enjoining  righteousness  and  godliness?  And 
yet,  not  alone  in  moral  holiness,  but  in  cere- 
monial holiness  as  well,  the  people  as  a nation 
signally  failed.  What  other  meaning,  indeed, 
have  the  sacrificial  offerings  and  ritual  cleans- 
ings of  the  Levitical  system?  Moreover,  it 
was  expected  by  God  that  Israel  would  fail 
at  every  point;  and  for  the  failure  provision 
was  made  in  the  Mosaic  sacrifices  and  ritual 
purifications. 

Thus,  it  is  far  from  the  truth  to  hold  that 
as  a nation  the  people  of  Israel  were  morally 
holy ; that  is,  that  every  member  of  the  Hebrew 
race  had  experienced  a spiritual  renewal  of 
character . Indeed,  it  was  their  lack  of  moral 
holiness — the  possession  of  an  evil  heart  of  un- 
belief and  rebellion — that  was  the  cause  of  the 
failure  of  the  people  even  in  ceremonial  holi- 
ness. 

“For  the  heart  of  this  people  is  waxed  gross, 
and  their  ears  are  dull  of  hearing,  and  their 
eyes  have  they  closed;  lest  they  should  see 
with  their  eyes,  and  hear  with  their  ears,  and 


The  Deeper  Life 


79 


understand  with  their  hearts,  and  should  be 
converted,  and  I should  heal  them.”  (Acts 
xxviii.  27.) 

"But  with  whom  was  He  grieved  forty 
years?  Was  it  not  with  them  that  had  sinned, 
whose  carcases  fell  in  the  wilderness?  And  to 
whom  swear  He  that  they  should  not  enter  into 
His  rest,  but  to  them  that  believed  not.  So  we 
see  that  they  could  not  enter  in  because  of  then 
unbelief.”  (Hebrews  iii.  17-19.) 

Second , Moral  Holiness. 

Moral  holiness  is  purity.  It  has  elsewhere 
been  defined  as  personal  holiness — the  holiness 
of  renewed  character  and  of  righteous  conduct. 
These  two  elements  belong  together,  the  one 
being  the  seed  and  the  other  the  fruit  of  a 
transformed  life.  Moral  holiness  belongs  only 
to  persons. 

While  Israel  as  a nation  was  only  ceremoni- 
ally holy,  individual  Israelites  were  morally 
holy.  The  Hebrew  people,  as  we  have 
seen,  fell  short  even  of  the  full  requirements 
of  the  ceremonial  law ; but  innumerable  mem- 
bers of  the  race  satisfied  God  by  becoming 
partakers  of  His  holiness  through  a spiritual 
transformation  of  their  hearts  and  lives. 

The  testimony  of  the  Old  Testament  Scrip- 
tures is  clear  alike  to  the  fact  that  Jehovah 


8o 


The  Crisis  of 


required  His  people  to  be  holy  and  to  the  fact 
that  individual  Israelites  earnestly  yearned  for 
conformity  to  the  Divine  will  in  heart  and  life. 
For  proof  of  this  statement  we  do  not  need 
to  go  outside  the  fifty-first  Psalm: 

“Behold,  Thou  desirest  truth  in  the  in- 
imrd  parts;  and  in  the  hidden  part  Thou  shalt 
make  me  to  know  wisdom/’  (verse  6.) 

“For  Thou  desirest  not  sacrifice ; else  would 
I give  it;  Thou  delightest  not  in  burnt  offer- 
ing. 

“The  sacrifices  of  God  are  a broken  spirit ; 
a broken  and  contrite  heart , O God,  Thou 
wilt  not  despise.”  (verses  16,  17.) 

“Have  mercy  upon  me,  O God,  according  to 
Thy  loving  kindness ; according  to  the  multi- 
tude of  Thy  tender  mercies,  blot  out  my  trans- 
gressions. 

“Wash  me  throughly  from  mine  iniquity, 
and  cleanse  me  from  my  sin. 

“For  I acknowledge  my  transgressions ; and 
my  sin  is  ever  before  me.”  (verses  1-3.) 

“ Purge  me  with  hyssop,  and  I shall  be 
clean;  wash  me,  and  I shall  be  whiter  than 
snow.”  (verse  7.) 

“Create  in  me  a clean  heart,  O God;  and 
renew  a right  spirit  within  me.”  (verse  10.) 

The  following  passages  of  like  tenor  may 


The  Deeper  Life  81 

also  be  examined : Psalm  xxiv.  3-5 ; Isaiah 

lvii.  15;  Jeremiah  xxxiii.  8;  Ezekiel  xxxvi. 
25,  33;  Malachi  i.  11;  iii.  3. 

Now,  the  Lord  always  meets  and  satisfies  the 
yearning  desire  for  holiness  which  He  Himself 
creates.  Can  we  doubt,  for  example,  that  King 
David  who  uttered  this  earnest  prayer  did 
not  have  the  desire  of  his  heart  fulfilled  ? 

“As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks, 
so  panteth  my  soul  after  Thee,  O God. 

“My  soul  thirsteth  for  God,  for  the  living 
God:  when  shall  I come  and  appear  before 
God?”  (Psalm  xlii.  1,  2;  see  also  Psalm 
lxiii.  1,  2.) 

The  Lord  has  always  reserved  for  Himself 
a godly  seed,  a righteous  people,  a holy  rem- 
nant. 

“But  know  that  the  Lord  hath  set  apart 
him  that  is  godly  for  Himself ; the  Lord  will 
hear  when  I call  unto  Him.”  (Psalm  iv.  3.) 

Let  us  take  a rapid  survey  of  Old  Testa- 
ment history,  beginning  with  the  infancy  of 
the  race.  Righteous  Abel  was  the  first  of  the 
line  of  the  godly  seed.  To  take  his  place 
God  raised  up  Seth,  from  whom  descended 
holy  Enoch,  who  “walked  with  God ; and  he 
was  not;  for  God  took  him.”  (Genesis  v. 
24.)  God-fearing  Noah  “prepared  an  ark  to 


82 


The  Crisis  of 


the  saving  of  his  house ; by  the  which  he  con- 
demned the  world,  and  became  heir  of  the 
righteousness  which  is  by  faith.”  (Hebrews 
xi.  7.)  Abraham,  the  friend  of  God,  “by  faith 
sojourned  in  the  land  of  promise,  as  in  a 
strange  country,  dwelling  in  tabernacles  with 
Isaac  and  Jacob,  the  heirs  with  him  of  the 
same  promise.”  (Hebrews  xi.  9.)  But  the 
time  would  fail  us  to  tell  of  Sarah,  of  Joseph, 
of  Moses,  of  the  triumphant  hosts  of  the 
Israelites  at  the  Red  Sea  and  before  the  walls 
of  Jericho,  of  Rahab,  of  Gideon,  of  Barak,  of 
Samson,  of  Jephthah,  of  David  and  of  Samuel 
and  the  prophets,  “who  through  faith  subdued 
kingdoms,  wrought  righteousness,  obtained 
promises,  stopped  the  mouths  of  lions, 
quenched  the  violence  of  fires,  escaped  the  edge 
of  the  sword,  waxed  valiant  in  fight,  turned  to 
flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens.”  (Hebrews  xi. 
33,  34.)  And  lest  we  should  think  that  his 
roll  of  heroes  was  exhaustive  instead  of  repre- 
sentative of  a “great  cloud  of  witnesses,”  the 
writer  adds:  “Women  received  their  dead 
raised  to  life  again : and  others  were  tortured, 
not  accepting  deliverance ; that  they  might 
obtain  a better  resurrection.  And  others  had 
trial  of  cruel  mockings  and  scourgings,  yea, 
moreover,  of  bonds  and  imprisonments ; They 


The  Deeper  Life 


S3 

were  stoned,  they  were  sawn  asunder,  were 
tempted,  were  slain  with  swords;  they  wan- 
dered about  in  sheepskins  and  goatskins ; 
being  destitute,  afflicted,  tormented;  (of  whom 
the  world  was  not  worthy)  ; they  wandered  in 
deserts,  and  in  mountains,  and  in  dens  and  in 
caves  of  the  earth.  And  these  all,  having  ob- 
tained a good  report  through  faith,  received 
not  the  promise;  God  having  provided  some 
better  things  for  us,  that  they  without  us 
should  not  be  made  perfect/’  (verses  35-40.) 

This  glorious  chapter  of  the  eleventh  of 
Hebrews  covers  the  long  period  of  over  four 
thousand  years  from  Abel  to  Malachi.  How 
“great  a cloud  of  witnesses”  there  was  to  the 
spiritual  worship  of  Jehovah  no  one  can  tell. 
In  his  day  Elijah  believed  that  he  was  the 
only  faithful  follower  of  the  Lord ; yet  God 
assured  him  that  He  had  reserved  for  Himself 
seven  thousand  in  Israel  who  had  not  bowed 
the  knee  unto  Baal,  nor  kissed  his  image  in 
idolatrous  worship.  (I.  Kings  xix.  18.)  Just 
before  the  Old  Testament  closes  and  the  long 
night  of  prophetic  silence  is  ushered  in,  we 
have  this  exquisite  picture  of  the  “little  flock” 
that  shall  yet  inherit  the  Kingdom  of  God. 

“Then  they  that  feared  the  Lord  spake  often 
one  to  another;  and  the  Lord  hearkened  and 


84 


The  Crisis  of 


heard  it,  and  a book  of  remembrance  was 
written  before  Him  for  them  that  feared  the 
Lord,  and  that  thought  upon  His  name.  And 
they  shall  be  Mine,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  in 
that  day,  when  I make  up  My  jewels;  and  1 
will  spare  them,  as  a man  spareth  his  own  son 
that  serveth  him.”  (Malachi  iii.  16,  17.) 

IV.  The  Mode  of  Holiness. 

The  mode  of  holiness  was  the  means  or  pro- 
cess whereby  a person  or  thing  became  holy. 
In  a word,  holiness  was  brought  about  by  con- 
tact zvith  God . In  the  case  of  ceremonial  holi- 
ness the  contact  was  external  and  official,  and 
the  holiness  consisted  in  a scene  of  sacredness 
which  invested  the  person  or  thing.  In  the 
case  of  moral  holiness  the  contact  was  spiritual 
and  personal,  and  the  holiness  consisted  in 
purity  of  heart  and  life — the  very  nature  of 
God  being  imparted  to  the  devout  worshipper. 

First , Ceremonial  Holiness  . 

In  the  ritual  of  ceremonial  holiness  four  ele- 
ments were  employed,  viz.,  water,  fire,  blood 
and  oil.  These  emblems  were  typical:  the 
blood  of  the  redemptive  work  of  Christ;  and 
the  water,  fire,  and  oil,  of  the  separating,  puri- 
fying, and  consecrating  work  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 


The  Deeper  Life  85 

Objects  were  regarded  as  clean,  when  passed 
through  either  water  or  fire. 

“And  Eleazer,  the  priest,  said  unto  the  men 
of  war  which  went  to  the  battle,  This  is  the 
ordinance  of  the  law  which  the  Lord  command- 
ed Moses: 

“Only  the  gold,  and  silver,  the  brass,  the 
iron,  the  tin,  and  the  lead. 

“Everything  that  may  abide  the  fire  ye  shall 
make  it  go  through  the  fire  and  it  shall  be 
dean : nevertheless  it  shall  be  purified  with  the 
water  of  separation : and  all  that  abideth  not 
the  fire  ye  shall  make  go  through  the  water.” 
(Numbers  xxxi.  21-23.) 

Water,  blood  and  oil  were  applied  to  persons. 
The  process  of  ritual  sanctification  in  the  Old 
Testament  is  clearly  seen  in  the  cleansing  of 
the  leper,  the  consecration  of  the  priests,  and 
the  water  of  separation. 

1.  The  Cleansing  of  the  Leper.  Leviticus, 
chapter  fourteen. 

In  the  cleansing  of  the  leper  there  were 
three  steps,  namely:  First,  the  healing  of  the 
disease ; second,  the  announcement  of  clean- 
ness by  the  priest ; and  third,  the  rites  of  cleans- 
ing. Here  we  are  concerned  only  with  the 
rites  of  cleansing.  There  was  a five-fold  pro- 
cess: 


86 


The  Crisis  of 


( 1 )  . Sacrifice. 

Two  birds  were  taken:  one  was  slain;  and 
the  other,  dipped  in  its  blood  with  the  cedar 
wood  and  the  scarlet  and  the  hyssop,  was  re- 
leased in  the  open  field.  The  typical  signifi- 
cance of  this  rite  is  set  forth  in  Romans  iv. 
2 5 : “Who  was  delivered  for  our  offenses, 

and  raised  again  for  our  justification.” 

(2)  Cleansing  by  water. 

All  the  hair  of  the  leper  was  shaved,  and  his 
body  and  clothes  were  then  washed  in  water 
to  symbolize  his  complete  separation  from  his 
former  life  and  habits. 

(3) .  Sprinkling  with  blood  seven  times. 

Seven  times  the  leper  was  sprinkled  with 

blood  by  the  priest  to  represent  his  entire 
cleansing . Then  some  blood  was  put  upon  the 
tip  of  his  right  ear,  the  thumb  of  his  right 
hand,  and  the  great  toe  of  his  right  foot,  as 
a type  of  the  redemption  of  all  his  faculities 
and  powers. 

(4) .  Sprinkling  with  oil  seven  times. 

The  same  process  was  repeated  with  the 
anointing  oil  in  token  that  all  the  members  of 
the  cleansed  leper’s  body,  the  faculties  of  his 
mind,  the  powers  of  his  soul,  and  his  daily 
walk  and  habits  of  life  were  solemnly  set  apart 
in  dedication  to  God . 


The  Deeper  Life 


87 


(5).  The  rest  of  the  oil. 

Lastly,  a rite  of  deep  spiritual  significance 
was  performed.  We  read:  “And  the  rest  of 

the  oil  that  is  in  the  priest’s  hand  he  shall  put 
upon  the  head  of  him  that  is  to  be  cleansed, 
to  make  atonement  for  him  before  the  Lord.” 
(verse  29).  This  was  “the  residue  of  the  oil.” 
And  its  being  poured  over  the  head  of  the 
cleansed  leper  may  be  taken  as  a symbol  of  the 
fulness  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  just  as  the  applica- 
tion of  the  oil  may  be  taken  as  an  emblem  of 
the  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  “seven 
times”  of  the  sprinkled  blood  and  the  sprinkled 
oil  represents  completeness. 

2.  The  Consecration  of  the  Priests.  Exodus 
xxviii.  41 — xxix.  24;  Leviticus  viii.  1 — ix.  24. 

The  ritual  sanctification  of  the  priests,  or 
their  dedication  to  office,  was  substantially  the 
same  as  the  process  for  the  cleansing  of  the 
leper: — sacrifice,  washing,  the  sprinkling  of 
the  blood,  and  the  sprinkling  of  the  oil.  One 
feature  of  the  solemn  service,  however,  was 
unique,  and  that  was  the  filling  of  the  hand. 
The  act  of  consecration  included  a part  of  the 
sacrifice  being  put  in  the  priest’s  hand,  waved, 
and  then  taken«to  the  altar.  The  Hebrew  word 
translated  “consecrate,’’  as  used  in  this  rite, 


88 


The  Crisis  of 


means  to  fill  the  hand.  See  Exodus  xxviii. 
41 ; Leviticus  viii.  27,  28.  Spiritually,  the  mean- 
ing is  that  after  we  have  been  separated  from 
sin  and  dedicated  to  God,  and  have  received 
the  Holy  Spirit,  we  are  appointed  to  fruitful 
service.  We  are  not  to  be  idlers  in  the  vine- 
yard of  the  Lord,  nor  spend  our  time  in  holy 
contemplation.  But  God  fills  our  hands  with 
loving  ministries  to  Himself  and  to  the  sinful 
and  needy.  Jesus  said:  “Ye  have  not  chosen 
Me,  but  I have  chosen  you  and  ordained  you, 
that  ye  should  go  and  bring  forth  fruit,  and 
that  your  fruit  should  remain ; that  whatsoever 
ye  shall  ask  of  the  Father  in  My  name,  He 
may  give  it  you.”  (John  xv.  16.) 

3.  The  Water  of  Separation.  Numbers, 
chapter  nineteen. 

The  ordinance  of  the  red  heifer  differed 
materially  from  the  law  of  the  leper’s  cleansing 
and  the  ritual  of  the  priest’s  consecration.  The 
law  of  leprosy  provided  for  the  cleansing  from 
a loathsome  disease.  The  ritual  of  consecration 
marked  the  solemn  setting  apart  of  a priest 
to  his  holy  office.  The  water  of  separation, 
on  the  other  hand,  was  applied  to  the  ordinary 
Israelite,  who  during  the  course  of  his  daily 
walk  might  become  ceremonially  defiled.  There 
were  four  parts  to  the  ordinance,  namely : the 


The  Deeper  Life 


89 


killing  of  the  red  heifer,  the  seven-fold  sprink- 
ling of  its  blood,  the  preparation  and  preserva- 
tion of  the  ashes  as  a memorial  before  the  Lord, 
and  the  act  of  cleansing  from  defilement  by 
sprinkling  the  unclean  object  or  person  with  a 
kind  of  lye  formed  by  mixing  some  of  the  ashes 
with  water.  Spiritually,  this  impressive  ordin- 
ance teaches  us  God's  way  of  cleansing  His 
children  from  the  defilement  of  daily  contact 
with  evil.  The  slaying  of  the  red  heifer  and 
the  sevenfold  sprinkling  of  the  blood  are  a 
type  of  the  atonement  of  Christ.  The  ashes 
kept  in  a clean  place  typify  the  finished 
work  of  our  Lord  as  the  perpetual  ground 
of  our  daily  cleansing.  The  water  is  a symbol 
of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  deep  significance 
of  all  this  in  Christian  experience  is  beauti- 
fully set  forth,  both  pictorially  and  doctrin- 
ally,  in  the  thirteenth  chapter  of  John.  While 
in  the  upper  room  at  the  passover  feast, 
Jesus  girded  Himself  with  a towel,  and 
pouring  water  in  a basin  began  to  wash  the 
disciples'  feet.  In  Oriental  countries,  where 
sandals  are  worn,  the  feet  become  dusty,  and 
frequent  washing  of  the  feet  is  necessary.  Feet 
washing  was  an  act  of  hospitality,  which  was 
customarily  performed  by  servants.  The  fact 
that  Jesus  undertook  this  menial  office  was  a 


90 


The  Crisis  of 


proof  of  His  own  humility  and  a lesson  in 
humility  to  the  disciples.  To  Peter,  who  ob- 
jected to  his  feet  being  washed,  the  Master 
said:  “He  that  is  washed  needeth  not  save 

to  wash  his  feet,  but  is  clean  every  whit;  and 
ye  are  clean  but  not  all.,,  (verse  io.)  Here 
two  Greek  verbs  are  used.  The  first,  translated 
“washed,”  is  louo  and  means  the  bathing  of 
the  entire  body.  The  second,  rendered  “wash,” 
is  nipto  and  means  the  washing  of  a part  of 
the  body.  Literally,  we  may  read : — “He  that 
is  bathed  needeth  not  save  to  wash  his  feet,  but 
is  clean  every  whit.”  That  is,  a man  bathed 
himself  in  the  morning,  but  throughout  the 
day  he  washed  his  feet  whenever  they  re- 
quired it.  So  Jesus  taught  that  after  regenera- 
tion, which  cannot  be  repeated,  a daily  cleans- 
ing of  the  believer’s  walk  and  conversation 
takes  place.  This  the  Holy  Ghost  accomplishes 
by  means  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  and  through 
the  agency  of  the  Word  of  God. 

.Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and 
gave  Himself  for  it ; that  He  might  sanctify 
and  cleanse  it  with  the  washing  of  water  by 
the  Word .”  (Ephesians  v.  25,  26.) 

“Not  by  works  of  righteousness  which  we 
have  done,  but  according  to  His  mercy  He 
saved  us,  by  the  washing  of  regeneration,  and 


The  Deeper  Life  91 

the  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost”  (Titus  iii. 
5-) 

“But  if  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  He  is  in  the 
light,  we  have  fellowship  one  with  another, 
and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  cleans- 
eth  us  from  all  sin/'  (I.  John  i.  7.)  The  Greek 
verb  translated  “cleanseth”  is  in  the  present 
tense ; literally,  it  means  keeps  cleansing . 

Second , Moral  Holiness. 

As  we  have  seen,  the  means  whereby  a 
person  or  thing  becomes  holy  is  contact  with 
God.  If  the  contact  with  God  be  external  and 
official,  the  holiness  is  ceremonial  in  nature, 
and  consists  in  a sense  of  sacredness  with 
which  the  person  or  thing  is  invested.  On 
the  other  hand,  if  the  contact  with  God  be  vital 
and  spiritual,  the  result  is  moral  holiness, 
which  consists  of  purity  of  heart  and  life — 
the  very  purity  of  God  Himself  imparted  to 
the  devout  believer.  We  are  now  to  inquire 
more  carefully  into  the  process  whereby  moral 
holiness  is  secured. 

How  were  the  Old  Testament  worthies  in 
the  long  line  from  Abel  to  Malachi  sanctified 
in  character  and  conduct?  We  have  said  by 
a vital  and  spiritual  contact  with  God.  But 
this  statement  calls  for  some  consideration. 


92 


The  Crisis  of 


Of  course,  in  its  inner  nature  the  mode  of 
moral  holiness  is  not  clear.  Mystery  sur- 
rounds all  the  works  of  God,  especially  the 
operations  of  Divine  grace  upon  the  human 
heart.  The  Apostle  Paul  declared:  "Great  is 
the  mystery  of  godliness:  God  was  manifest 
in  the  flesh  . . . ” (I.  Timothy  iii.  16.)  And 

this  statement  is  just  as  true  of  Christ’s  being 
manifested  in  us  as  it  is  of  God’s  being  mani- 
fested in  Christ. 

"To  whom  God  would  make  known  what 
is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this  mystery, 
among  the  Gentiles ; which  is  Christ  in  you, 
the  hope  of  glory.”  (Colossians  i.  27.) 

The  new  birth  is  a profound  mystery. 
Jesus  said: 

"The  wind  bloweth  where  it  listeth,  and 
thou  hearest  the  sound  thereof,  but  canst  not 
tell  whence  it  cometh,  and  whither  it  goeth ; 
so  is  every  one  that  is  born  of  the  Spirit.” 
(John  iii.  8.) 

Sanctification  is  also  a profound  mystery. 
We  cannot  trace  the  inner  process  whereby  a 
soul  becomes  partaker  of  the  Divine  holi- 
ness. Particularly  is  this  true  in  the  Old  Tes- 
tament, where  so  little  comparatively  is  re- 
vealed concerning  the  hidden  working  upon 
hearts  and  lives  of  the  Spirit  of  God.  We 


The  Deeper  Life 


93 


know,  however,  that  God  has  but  one  way  of 
salvation.  Consequently,  we  may  say  that  the 
mode  of  moral  holiness  in  the  Old  Testament 
was  three-fold,  namely:  the  cross  of  Christ, 
the  work  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  faith  of  the 
Israelite. 

1.  The  Cross  of  Christ. 

The  LevHcal  system  of  sacrificial  offerings 
and  ritual  cleansings  was  typical  of  Christ 
and  His  redemptive  work.  The  individual 
Israelite  was  saved  through  a Saviour  Who 
was  to  come,  just  as  the  sinner  to-day  is  saved 
through  a Saviour  Who  has  come.  In  one  case 
the  redemption  was  prophetic ; in  the  other 
case  it  is  historic.  So,  too,  the  Old  Testament 
saints  were  sanctified  by  the  cross ; the  finished 
work  of  Christ,  typified  in  the  offerings,  was 
the  ground  of  their  moral  cleansing. 

2.  The  Work  of  the  Spirit. 

Of  course,  dispensationally  speaking,  the 
Holy  Spirit  bore  a relation  to  Old  Testament 
times  quite  different  from  what  He  bears  to 
the  present  age.  The  Divine  Spirit  did  not 
indwell  the  Congregation  of  Israel  as  He  in- 
dwells the  Church  of  God.  Indeed,  an  out- 
pouring of  the  Spirit,  such  as  was  witnessed 
at  Pentecost,  was  distinctly  foretold.  (Isaiah 
xxxii.  14-17;  Ezekiel  xxxvi.  25-27;  Joel  ii. 


94 


The  Crisis  of 


28-32 ; Zechariah  xii.  10.)  Yet  the  Holy  Ghost 
as  a Person  was  with  and  among  the  people  of 
Israel.  (Genesis  vi.  3;  Psalm  li.  11;  Isaiah 
lxiii.  10;  Ezekiel  xi.  5;  Haggai  ii.  5.) 

In  particular  there  was  a four-fold  work  of 
the  Spirit  of  God,  viz: 

(a) .  He  came  upon  men;  that  is,  He 
clothed  Himself  with  them.  Of  this  Gideon 
is  an  example.  (Judges  vi.  34.) 

(b) .  He  came  upon  men  mightily;  that  is. 
He  forced  them  into  something,  so  to  speak. 
Of  this  Samson  is  an  example.  (Judges  xv. 
14.) 

(c) .  He  equipped  men  and  filled  them  for 
specific  service;  as  Bezaleel,  (Exodus  xxxi. 
2,  3,)  ; Cyrus,  (Isaiah  xlv.  1)  ; and  Zerub- 
babel,  (Zechariah  iv.  6.). 

(d) .  He  indwelt  men.  Of  only  Joseph  and 
Joshua,  however,  is  this  fact  recorded.  (Gene- 
sis xli.  38;  Numbers  xxvii.  18;  see  also 
Daniel  v.  11.) 

Now,  it  is  with  this  last  operation  of  the 
Holy  Ghost — indwelling  men — that  the  work 
of  sanctification  is  to  be  specifically  connected. 
While  it  is  true  that  God's  Spirit  is  said,  in 
so  many  words,  to  have  indwelt  only  Joseph 
and  Joshua,  may  we  not  take  these  men  as 


The  Deeper  Life 


95 


representatives  of  a large  class,  perhaps  an 
innumerable  multitude  of  saints,  such  as  Abel, 
Enoch,  Noah,  Abraham  and  the  patriarchs,  and 
the  long  line  of  godly  priests,  prophets,  and 
kings?  It  is  not  safe  to  say  that  it  was  the 
privilege  and  experience  of  individual  Israel- 
ites then , as  it  is  the  privilege  and  experience 
of  believers  now,  to  have  the  gracious  work- 
ing of  the  Divine  Spirit  not  only  upon  them 
but  within  them  as  well?  Yet  in  the  former 
dispensation  the  Holy  Spirit  seems  to  have 
visited  men  occasionally  — at  least  in  some 
cases  He  came  and  went ; but  in  the  present 
age,  when  we  definitely  receive  Him,  He  comes 
to  abide  forever.  Surely,  then,  we  may  be- 
believe  that  the  Old  Testament  saints  were 
made  partakers  of  the  purity  of  God  — that  is, 
were  sanctified  in  heart  and  life — by  the  gr^ 
cious  inworking  of  the  Divine  Spirit. 

3.  The  Faith  of  the  Israelite. 

It  is  the  clear  teaching  of  the  eleventh  chap- 
ter of  Hebrews  that  the  long  line  of  Old  Testa- 
ment worthies  from  Abel  onward  were  saved 
and  sanctified  by  faith.  It  was  by  faith — faith 
in  the  Word  of  Jehovah,  in  the  redemptive 
value  of  the  sacrifices,  and  in  the  gracious  in- 
working of  the  Spirit — that  their  lives  were 


r 


96  The  Deeper  Life 

spiritually  transformed  and  they  themselves 
wrought  mighty  achievements  for  God.  For 
it  was  true  then,  as  it  is  true  now: 

“But  without  faith  it  is  impossible  to  please 
Him ; for  he  that  cometh  to  God  must  believe 
that  He  is,  and  that  He  is  a Rewarder  of  them 
that  diligently  seek  Him.”  (Hebrews  xi.  6.) 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  ANTIDOTE  FOR  SIN. 

Holiness  in  the  New  Testament. 

E have  studied  the  subject  of  holi- 
ness in  the  Old  Testament.  Let 
us  now  turn  to  the  New  Testa- 
ment. Here  we  shall  find  the 
teaching  deeper  and  richer,  inas- 
much as  the  dispensation  of  grace 
is  in  advance  of  the  dispensation  of 
law.  “The  law  was  given  by 
Moses,  but  grace  and  truth  (reality)  came  by 
Jesus  Christ,”  (John  i.  17.) 

I.  The  Signification  of  the  Words  for  Holi- 
ness in  the  New  Testament. 

There  are  five  Greek  words  from  the  same 
root  translated  holy  or  holiness  (sanctify  or 
sanctification)  in  the  New  Testament,  namely: 
a verb — hagiazo;  an  adjective — hagios;  and 
three  nouns — hagiasmos , hagiotes,  and  hagi- 
osune.  They  are  all  practically  synonymous  in 
meaning  with  the  Hebrew  word  Kadesh. 
Thus  the  verb  hagiazo  signifies  primarily  the 
sacredness,  veneration,  or  hallowedness,  which 


98 


The  Crisis  of 


a person,  place,  or  object  possesses  by  virtue  o* 
contact  with  God . In  the  Authorized  Ver- 
sion the  verb  is  translated  by  the  words  holy, 
hallow,  and  sanctify. 

II.  The  Application  of  the  Words  for 
Holiness. 

As  in  the  Old  Testament,  there  is  a wid^ 
application  of  the  words  for  holiness  in  the 
New  Testament. 

For  example:  First,  to  Places.  The  City 

of  Jerusalem,  the  sanctuary  of  the  temple, 
and  the  temple  of  believers  are  holy.  Matthew 
iv.  5;  xxiv.15;  Ephesians  ii.  21.  Second,  to 
Objects.  The  covenant  of  God,  the  Scriptures, 
and  the  law  are  holy.  Luke  i.  72 ; Romans  i. 
2 ; vii.  12.  Third,  to  Persons.  Believers, 
often  in  the  epistles  called  “saints,”  the 
prophets,  and  the  angels  are  holy.  Hebrews 
iii.  1 ; I.  Corinthians  i.  2 ; II.  Corinthians  i.  1 ; 
Acts  iii.  21  ; Revelation  xiv.  10. 

Besides  these  and  many  other  instances  the 
word  “holy”  is  applied  to  the  Divine  Being, 
thus:  the  Father  is  holy.  John  xvii.  11.  The 
Son  is  holy.  Mark  i.  24 ; Luke  i.  35 ; I.  John 

ii.  20.  And  the  Divine  Spirit  is  holy.  Matthew 

iii.  11 ; Acts  xiii.  2;  Romans  xv.  16. 

As  in  the  Old  Testament,  in  every  instance 
of  the  occurrence  of  the  word  holy  in  the 


The  Deeper  Life 


99 


New  Testament,  whether  applied  to  persons, 
places,  or  objects,  the  fundamental  idea  of 
contact  with  God  is  prominent. 

III.  The  Use  of  the  Words  for  Holiness. 

The  full  discussion  of  the  nature  of  cere- 
monial and  moral  holiness  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment makes  it  unnecessary  to  go  over  the 
ground  again  in  detail.  The  fundamental 
principles  are  the  same.  The  Greek  words  for 
holiness  or  sanctification  are  employed  with  the 
wide  range  of  meaning  of  the  Hebrew  word: 
— separation  from  sin,  dedication  to  God,  and 
consecration  to  service — in  a word,  moral  and 
ceremonial  holiness.  If  the  contact  with  God 
be  material,  the  holiness  is  ceremonial ; if  the 
contact  be  spiritual,  the  holiness  is  moral. 

First,  Ceremonial  Holiness. 

Both  ceremonial  and  moral  holiness  are 
taught  in  the  Old  and  in  the  New  Testament — 
but  with  this  difference:  in  the  Old  Testa- 
ment the  emphasis  is  upon  ceremonial  holi- 
ness, while  in  the  New  Testament  it  is  upon 
moral  holiness. 

i.  The  Ceremonial  Holiness  of  Things. 

The  following  are  a few  illustrative  exam- 
ples: 

“Ye  fools  and  blind:  for  whether  is  greater, 


IOO 


The  Crisis  of 


the  gold  or  the  temple  that  sanctifieth  the 
gold? 

“And,  whosoever  shall  swear  by  the  altar, 
it  is  nothing;  but  whosoever  sweareth  by  the 
gift  that  is  upon  it,  he  is  guilty. 

“Ye  fools  and  blind:  for  whether  is  greater, 
the  gift,  or  the  altar  that  sanctifieth  the  gift?” 
(Matthew  xxiii.  17-19.) 

“For  every  creature  of  God  is  good,  and 
nothing  to  be  refused,  if  it  be  received  with 
thanksgiving ; For  it  is  sanctified  by  the  Word 
of  God  and  prayer.”  (I.  Timothy  iv.  4,5.) 

2.  The  Ceremonial  Holiness  of  Persons. 

There  is  a striking  example  of  the  cere- 
monial holiness  of  persons  in  I.  Corinthians 
vii.  14:  “For  the  unbelieving  husband  is 

sanctified  by  the  wife,  and  the  unbelieving  wife 
is  sanctified  by*  the  husband ; else  were  your 
children  unclean;  but  now  they  are  holy.  On 
this  passage  Meyer's  comment  is : “The  Chris- 
tian sanctity  affects  even  the  non-believing 
partner  in  a marriage  and  so  passes  over  to  him 
that  he  does  not  remain  a profane  person,  but 
through  the  intimate  union  of  wedded  life 
becomes  partaker  (as  if  by  a sacred  contagion) 
of  the  higher  Divinely  constituted  character  of 
his  consort.”  And  Dr.  Lias,  in  the  Cambridge 
Bible,  adds:  “This  principle  applies  also  to 


The  Deeper  Life  ioi 

the  children  of  such  a marriage.  The  sanctity, 
i.  e the  consecration,  of  the  parent  possess- 
ing the  life  of  Christ,  and  living  in  holy  wed- 
lock with  an  unbelieving  husband  or  wife, 
descends  to  the  child,  which  from  its  birth 
may  be  regarded  as  'holy  to  the  Lord.’” 

Second , Moral  Holiness. 

We  will  notice,  in  the  first  place,  the  holiness 
of  Christ  and,  in  the  second  place,  the  holiness 
of  believers. 

i.  The  Holiness  of  Christ. 

"Say  ye  of  Him,  Whom  the  Father  hath 
sanctified  and  sent  into  the  world,  Thou  blas- 
phemest,  because  I said,  I am  the  Son  of 
God?”  (John  x.  36.) 

"And  for  their  sakes  I sanctify  Myself,  that 
they  also  might  be  sanctified  through  the 
truth."  (John  xvii.  19.) 

In  these  two  passages,  with  reference  to 
our  Lord,  the  expressions  "hath  sanctified” 
and  "sanctify”  can  be  understood  only  of  His 
setting  apart  for  the  work  of  redemption.  Says 
a great  English  scholar:  "We  ought  to  inter- 
pret these  passages  in  the  light  of  the  sancti- 
fication of  the  priest,  the  altar,  and  all  the  holy 
things  of  the  older  dispensation  which  were 
the  shadows,  while  Christ  was  the  substance. 
The  Lord  was  'set  apart’  from  the  foundation 


102 


The  Crisis  of 


of  the  world  for  the  work  of  redemption,  and 
His  incarnation,  temptations,  and  sufferings 
were  the  processes  whereby  His  atoning  death 
was  prepared  for  and  rendered  valid.,, 

In  this  connection  we  may  examine,  in  pas- 
sing, a peculiar  use  of  the  word  sanctify  in  the 
Scriptures,  which  refers  exclusively  to  God 
Himself. 

‘Then  Moses  said  unto  Aaron,  This  is  it 
that  the  Lord  spake,  saying  I will  be  sanctified 
in  them  that  come  nigh  unto  Me,  and  before 
all  the  people  I will  be  glorified”  (Leviticus 
x.  3-) 

“But  sanctify  the  Lord  God  in  your  hearts/’ 
(I.  Peter  iii.  15.) 

In  these  passages  the  word  “sanctify”  seems 
to  be  used  in  a declarative  sense,  so  to  speak ; 
that  is,  to  hold  God  in  reverence  and  worship 
and  honor  Him. 

2.  The  Holiness  of  Believers. 

The  following  are  among  the  most  impor- 
tant passages  in  the  New  Testament,  which 
refer  to  the  sanctification  of  believers  in  heart 
and  life. 

(1) .  “Sanctify  them  through  Thy  truth: 
Thy  Word  is  truth.”  (John  xvii.  17.) 

(2) .  “ that  they  may  receive 


The  Deeper  Life 


103 


inheritance  among  them  which  are  sanctified 
by  faith  that  is  in  Me.”  (Acts  xxvi.  18.) 

(3) .  “ even  so  now  yield  your  mem- 

bers servants  to  righteousness  unto  holiness.” 
(Romans  vi.  19.) 

(4) .  But  now  being  made  free  from  sin, 
and  become  servants  to  God,  ye  have  your 
fruit  unto  holiness,  and  the  end  everlasting 
life.”  (Romans  vi.  22.) 

(5) .  “Unto  the  Church  of  God,  which  is  at 
Corinth,  to  them  that  are  sanctified  in  Christ 
Jesus,  called  to  be  saints.”  (I.  Corinthians 
i.  2.) 

(6) .  “But  of  Him  are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus, 
Who  of  God  is  made  unto  us  wisdom,  right- 
eousness, sanctification,  and  redemption.”  (I. 
Corinthians  i.  30.) 

(7) .  “And  such  were  some  of  you:  but  ye 
are  washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye  are 
justified  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and 
by  the  Spirit  of  God.”  (I.  Corinthians  vi. 
n.) 

(8) .  “Having  therefore  these  promises, 
dearly  beloved,  let  us  cleanse  ourselves  from 
all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting 
holiness  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.”  (II.  Corin- 
thians vii.  1.) 


104 


The  Crisis  of 


(9) .  “Husbands,  love  your  wives,  even  as 
Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  Him- 
self for  it: 

“That  He  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with 
the  water  of  washing  by  the  Word.”  (Ephe- 
sians v.  25,  26.) 

(10) .  To  the  end  that  He  may  establish 
your  hearts  unblamable  in  holiness  before 
God,  even  our  Father,  at  the  coming  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  all  His  saints.”  (I. 
Thessalonians  iii.  13.) 

(11) .  “For  this  is  the  will  of  God,  even 
your  sanctification,  that  ye  should  abstain  from 
fornication. 

“That  every  one  of  you  should  know  how  to 
possess  his  vessel  in  sanctification  and  honor. 

“For  God  hath  not  called  us  into  unclean- 
ness, but  unto  holiness.”  (I.  Thessalonians  iv. 
3.  4,  7-) 

(12) .  “And  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify 
you  wholly;  and  I pray  God  your  spirit  and 
soul  and  body  be  preserved  blameless  unto 
the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  (I. 
Thessalonians  v.  23.) 

(13) .  “For  we  are  bound  to  give  thanks  to 
God  for  you,  brethren,  beloved  of  the  Lord, 
because  God  hath  from  the  beginning  chosen 
you  to  salvation  through  sanctification  of  the 


The  Deeper  Life  105 

Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth.”  (II.  Thessa- 
lonians  ii.  13.) 

(14) .  “Nevertheless  she  shall  be  saved  in 
child-bearing,  if  they  continue  in  faith  and 
charity  and  holiness  with  sobriety.”  (I.  Tim- 
othy ii.  15.) 

(15) .  “If  a man  purge  himself  from  these, 
he  shall  be  a vessel  unto  honor,  sanctified,  and 
meet  for  the  Master’s  use,  and  prepared  unto 
every  good  work.”  (II.  Timothy  ii.  21.) 

(16) .  For  both  He  that  sanctifieth  and  they 

who  are  sanctified  are  all  of  One:  for  which 

He  is  not  ashamed  to  call  them  brethren.” 
(Hebrews  ii.  11.) 

(17) .  “By  the  which  will  we  are  sanctified 
through  the  offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus 
Christ  once  for  all.”  (Hebrews  x.  10.) 

(18) .  “For  by  one  offering  He  hath  per- 
fected forever  them  that  are  sanctified.” 
(Hebrews  x.  14.) 

(19) .  “Of  how  much  sorer  punishment, 
suppose  ye,  shall  he  be  thought  worthy,  who 
hath  trodden  under  foot  the  Son  of  God,  and 
hath  counted  the  blood  of  the  covenant,  where- 
by he  was  sanctified,  an  unholy  thing,  and 
hath  done  despite  unto  the  Spirit  of  grace.” 
(Hebrews  x.  29.) 

(20) .  “For  they  verily  chastened  us  for  a 


io6 


The  Crisis  of 


few  days  after  their  pleasure : but  He  for  our 
profit,  that  we  might  be  partakers  of  His 
holiness.”  (Hebrews  xii.  io.) 

(21) .  “Follow  peace  with  all  men,  and  holi- 
ness, without  which  no  man  shall  see  the 
Lord.”  (Hebrews  xii.  14.) 

(22) .  “Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  He 
might  sanctify  the  people  with  His  own  blood, 
suffered  without  the  gate.”  (Hebrews  xiii. 
12.) 

(23) .  “Elect  according  to  God  the  Father, 
through  sanctification  of  the  Spirit,  unto 
obedience  and  sprinkling  of  the  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ:  Grace  unto  you,  and  peace,  be 
multiplied.”  (I.  Peter  i.  2.) 

(24) .  “Jude,  a servant  of  Jesus  Christ, 
and  brother  of  James,  to  them  that  are  sancti- 
fied by  God  the  Father,  and  preserved  in 
Jesus  Christ  and  called.”  (Jude  i.) 

(25) .  “That  He  would  grant  unto  us,  that 
we  being  delivered  out  of  the  hand  of  our 
enemies  might  serve  Him  without  fear, 

“In  holiness  and  righteousness  all  the  days 
of  our  life.”  (Luke  i.  74,  75.) 

(26) .  “And  that  ye  put  on  the  new  man, 
which  after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and 
true  holiness.”  (Ephesians  iv.  24.) 

(27) .  “And  when  Peter  saw  it  he  answered 


The  Deeper  Life 


107 


unto  the  people,  Ye  men  of  Israel,  why  mar- 
vel ye  at  this?  or  why  look  ye  so  earnestly 
on  us,  as  though  by  our  own  power  or  holiness, 
we  had  made  this  man  to  walk.”  (Acts  iii. 
12.) 

(28) .  ''The  aged  women  likewise,  that  they 
be  in  behavior  as  becometh  holiness.”  (Titus 
«•  3-) 

(29) .  “Now  are  ye  clean  through  the 
Word  which  I have  spoken  unto  you.”  (John 
XV.  3.) 

(30) .  “But  if  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  He 
is  in  the  light,  we  have  fellowship  with  one 
another;  and  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His 
Son  cleanses  us  from  all  sin.”  (I.  John  i. 
7-) 

(31) .  “If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faith- 
ful and  just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to 
cleanse  us  from  all  unrighteousness.”  (I. 
John  i.  9.) 

(32) .  “Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart;  for 
they  shall  see  God.”  (Matthew  v.  8.) 

(33) *  “Now  the  end  of  the  commandment 
is  charity  out  of  a pure  heart,  and  of  a good 
conscience,  and  of  faith  unfeigned.”  (I.  Tim- 
othy  i.  5.) 

(34) .  “ keep  thyself  pure.”  (I. 

Timothy  v.  22.) 


io8 


The  Crisis  of 


(35) .  “ But  follow  righteousness, 

faith,  charity,  peace,  with  them  that  call  on 
the  name  of  the  Lord  out  of  a pure  heart.” 
(II.  Timothy  ii.  22.) 

(36) .  “Seeing  ye  have  purified  your  souls 
in  obeying  the  truth  through  the  Spirit,  unto 
unfeigned  love  of  the  brethren,  see  that  ye 
love  one  another  with  a pure  heart  fervently.” 
(I.  Peter  i.  22.) 

(37) .  “And  every  man  that  hath  this  hope 
in  him  purifieth  himself,  even  as  He  is  pure.” 
(I.  John  iii.  3.) 

(38) .  “ and  put  no  difference  be- 

tween us  and  them,  purifying  their  hearts  by 
faith.”  (Acts  xv.  9.) 

(39) .  “ Exercise  thyself  rather  unto 

godliness.”  (I.  Timothy  iv.  7.) 

(40) .  “ But  godliness  is  profitable 

unto  all  things,  having  promise  of  the  life  that 
now  is,  and  of  that  which  is  to  come.”  (I. 
Timothy  iv.  8.) 

(41) .  “According  as  His  Divine  power 

hath  given  unto  us  all  things  that  pertain  unto 
life  and  godliness,  through  the  knowledge  of 
Him  that  hath  called  us  to  glory  and  virtue.” 
(II.  Peter  i.  3.) 

(42) .  “But  as  He  which  hath  called  you  is 


The  Deeper  Life  109 

holy,  so  be  ye  holy  in  all  manner  of  conver- 
sation : 

“Because  it  is  written,  Be  ye  holy;  for  I 
am  holy.  (I.  Peter  i.  15,  16.) 

(43) .  “Be  ye  not  unequally  yoked  together 
with  unbelievers ; for  what  fellowship  hath 
righteousness  with  unrighteousness  ? And 
what  communion  hath  light  with  darkness? 
And  what  concord  hath  Christ  with  Belial? 
Or  what  part  hath  he  that  believeth  with  an 
infidel  ? And  what  agreement  hath  the  temple 
of  God  with  idols?  For  ye  are  the  temple 
of  the  Living  God ; as  God  hath  said,  I will 
dwell  in  them,  and  walk  in  them ; and  I will 
be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  My  people. 
Wherefore  come  out  from  among  them,  and 
be  ye  separate  saith  the  Lord,  and  touch  not 
the  unclean  thing;  and  I will  receive  you. 
And  will  be  a Father  unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be 
My  sons  and  daughters,  saith  the  Lord  Al- 
mighty.” (II.  Corinthians  vi.  14-18.) 

(44) .  “Little  children,  keep  yourselves 
from  idols.”  (I.  John  v.  21.) 

While  by  no  means  an  exhaustive  list,  yet 
the  above  citation  of  passages  may  be  taken 
as  fairly  representative  of  the  teaching  of  the 
New  Testament  Scriptures  on  the  subject  of 
holiness. 


no 


The  Crisis  of 


IV.  The  Two-fold  Aspect  of  Holiness. 

Holiness  in  the  New  Testament  is  presented 
under  a two-fold  aspect,  which  may  be  called 
the  Historical  and  the  Experimental . 

First , the  Historical  Aspect. 

The  sanctification  of  believers  is  represented 
as  having  been  accomplished  by  Christ  on  the 
cross.  Our  holiness  is  part  of  the  finished 
work  of  redemption.  This  aspect  of  the  sub- 
ject is  sometimes  called  judicial  or  posi- 
tional holiness.  It  has  no  reference  whatever 
to  the  character  or  state  of  the  believer,  but 
rather  to  his  standing  before  God.  The  cita- 
tion of  a few  passages  already  quoted  in  an- 
other connection  will  make  this  phase  of  holi- 
ness clear : 

“By  the  which  will  we  are  sanctified  through 
the  offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  once 
for  all.,,  (Hebrews  x.  io.) 

“ For  by  one  offering  He  hath  perfected 
forever  them  that  are  sanctified.”  (Hebrews 
x.  14.) 

“Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  He  might 
sanctify  the  people  with  His  own  blood 
suffered  without  the  gate.”  (Hebrews  xiii. 
12.) 

“Unto  the  Church  of  God,  which  is  at  Cor- 
inth to  them  that  are  sanctified  in  Christ  Jesus, 


The  Deeper  Life 


hi 


called  to  be  saints.”  (Literally,  “called 
saints.”)  (I.  Corinthians  i.  2.) 

Second , the  Experimental  Aspect. 

The  sanctification  of  believers  is  also  re- 
presented in  the  New  Testament  as  an  ex- 
perimental possession,  a present  fact  wrought 
out  in  the  heart  and  life  by  the  indwelling  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  This  aspect  of  holiness  has 
no  reference  whatever  to  the  believer’s  stand- 
ing before  God , but  rather  to  his  character 
and  state . It  means  moral  holiness,  as  we 
have  come  to  understand  the  term.  This  is 
the  more  usual  and  familiar  sense  of  sanctifi- 
cation and  the  one  to  which  the  great  majority 
of  passages  that  have  been  quoted  refer.  For 
example : 

“But  now  being  free  from  sin,  and  become 
servants  to  God,  ye  have  your  fruit  unto  holi- 
ness (or  sanctification),  and  the  end  ever- 
lasting life.”  (Romans  vi.  22.) 

“And  the  very  God  of  peace  sanctify  you 
wholly;  and  I pray  God  your  whole  spirit 
and  soul  and  body  be  preserved  blameless  unto 
the  coming  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.”  (I. 
Thessalonians  v.  23.) 

“Follow  peace  with  all  men,  and  holiness, 
without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord.” 
(Hebrews  xii.  14.) 


II 2 


The  Crisis  of 


Now,  these  two  phases  of  sanctification  are 
distinct,  yet  vitally  and  inseparably  connected. 
They  are  like  the  two  halves  that  make  a 
whole.  What  Christ  did  for  us  on  the  cross, 
the  Spirit  must  do  in  us  as  a personal  experi- 
ence. The  teaching  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  is 
clear  and  emphatic  that  the  believer's  state  in 
grace  must  conform  to  his  standing  before 
God.  One  passage  will  suffice: 

“Having  therefore  these  promises,  dearly 
beloved,  let  us  cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthi- 
ness of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting  holiness 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord."  (II.  Corinthians 
vii.  i.) 

The  attempt  to  divorce  judicial  holiness 
from  experimental  holiness  is  always  attended 
by  consequences  more  or  less  disastrous  to 
moral  character  and  conduct.  Of  sanctification 
as  well  as  of  marriage  is  it  true,  “What  God 
hath  joined  together,  let  no  man  put  asunder." 
There  are  Christians  who  think  that  judicial 
holiness  is  sufficient,  and  who  make  their 
sanctification  by  the  cross  an  excuse  and  a 
justification  for  an  unsanctified  life.  They  feel 
that  since  their  standing  before  God  is  perfect, 
it  matters  little  if  their  walk  before  men  is 
imperfect.  Then  there  are  other  Christians 
who  do  not  go  quite  so  far,  yet  who  are 


The  Deeper  Life  113 

unconcerned  over  irregularities  in  their 
character  and  conduct  unbecoming  the  chil- 
dren of  God.  By  some  it  would  even  seem  as 
if  Christ’s  work  of  sanctification  on  the  cross 
was  believed  to  grant  a certain  degree  of 
moral  laxity.  Evidently,  such  Christians  are 
guilty  of  sin,  according  to  the  plain  teaching 
of  the  Scriptures;  yet  they  rarely  admit  that 
they  are  guilty.  Not  infrequently,  indeed, 
they  condone  their  faults,  seeming  at  times 
almost  to  extol  them  into  virtues.  What  the 
Bible  calls  sin,  these  believers  call  “mistakes” 
or  “infirmities.”  But  of  course  all  this  is 
entirely  wrong,  being  not  only  contrary  to 
Scripture  but  also  destructive  of  moral  sense. 
In  discussing  this  very  subject  of  the  relation 
of  the  Christian  to  the  law,  Paul  asks:  “Shall 
we  continue  in  sin  that  grace  may  abound?” 
His  reply  is  an  emphatic  “God  forbid.  How 
shall  we  that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any  longer 
therein?”  (Romans  vi.  1,  2.)  It  is,  indeed, 
this  belief,  and  worse  still,  this  kind  of  Chris- 
tian life  which  turns  away  so  many  people 
who  are  really  spiritually  hungry  from  the 
otherwise  attractive  doctrine  of  Scriptural 
holiness.  Such  a profession  is  a distortion  and 
a perversion  of  the  truth.  Judicial  sanctifi- 
cation alone  does  not  save  from  the  power  of 


The  Crisis  of 


114 

sin  and  the  tyranny  of  the  flesh.  Those  be- 
lievers who  possess  nothing  more  than  histori- 
cal holiness  are  in  reality  the  bond-servants  of 
sin,  and  are  “of  all  men  most  miserable.” 

V.  The  MMe  of  Holiness. 

We  come,  finally,  to  consider  the  mode  or 
process  of  holiness  as  set  forth  in  the  New 
Testament.  Just  as  in  the  Old  Testament, 
this  is  by  contact  with  God.  If  the  contact 
be  external  or  material,  the  holiness  is  cere- 
monial. But  if,  on  the  other  hand,  the  contact 
be  internal  or  spiritual,  the  holiness  is  moral. 
And  if  the  contact  with  God  be  in  any  wise 
broken,  holiness  is  lost.  For,  holiness  is  re- 
tained only  while  contact  with  God  is  main- 
tained. 

First,  Ceremonial  Holiness. 

Very  little,  comparatively,  is  said  in  the 
New  Testament  about  ceremonial  holiness. 
Dispensationally,  the  Levitical  offerings  and 
ritual  cleansings  belong  to  the  Old  Testament. 
These  things  were  types  of  Christ.  They 
were  the  shadows  of  which  He  is  the  sub- 
stance; and  they  were  all  done  away  with  in 
Him.  (Colossians  ii.  17;  Hebrews  viii.  5; 

X.  I.) 

Yet  the  Jews  in  Christ’s  day  observed,  to 
a more  or  less  extent,  the  Mosaic  ceremonial 


The  Deeper  Life  115 

system.  Indeed,  in  His  clashes  with  the  Phari- 
sees, Jesus  condemned  them,  because  they  re- 
garded ceremonial  holiness  as  all  that  God 
required.  (Matthew  v.  29;  vi.  16;  xxiii.  13- 
33;  Mark  vii.  1-23;  Luke  xi.  37-54.)  When 
Jesus  healed  the  lepers,  He  commanded  them 
to  observe  the  ritual  cleansings  enjoined  by 
the  law.  (Matthew  viii.  4;  Luke  xvii.  14.) 
The  enemies  of  Christ  would  not  enter  Pilate's 
judgment  hall,  lest  they  should  be  defiled  and 
thus  made  unfit  to  eat  the  passover.  (John 
xviii.  28.)  Pilate  himself  washed  his  hands 
as  a symbol  that  he  was  innocent  of  the  blood 
of  Jesus.  (Matthew  xxvii.  24.)  The  Apostle 
Paul  on  one  occasion  was  under  the  vow  of 
a Nazarite.  (Acts  xviii.  18;  see  also  Numbers 
vi.  18.)  We  further  read  of  four  men  in 
Jerusalem  who  had  vows  upon  them.  By 
advice  of  James  and  in  order  to  allay  the 
prejudice  of  the  Jews,  Paul  took  these  men, 
purified  himself  with  them,  and  entering  into 
the  temple,  made  the  offerings  prescribed 
by  the  law.  (Acts  xxi.  20-26.) 

As  further  examples  of  the  mode  of  cere- 
monial holiness  let  us  take  two  passages  al- 
ready quoted  in  another  connection : 

The  first  instance  is  I.  Corinthians  vii.  14. 
It  is  the  case  of  an  unbeliever  being 


n6 


The  Crisis  of 


married  to  a believer  and  becoming  “sancti- 
fied” by  the  holy  life  of  the  partner. 
Here  the  marriage  tie  is  the  means 
whereby  the  one  who  is  not  a Christian 
is  accounted  holy.  In  the  same  way  a sancti- 
fying influence  is  extended  to  the  children  of 
such  a union.  This  does  not,  of  course,  mean 
that  the  children  are  saved  ; they  still  have  need 
of  the  new  birth.  But  they  are  covered  by  a 
Christian  home,  and  by  the  faith  of  one  of  the 
parents  are  brought  under  the  protection  of  the 
covenant  mercies  of  God. 

The  second  instance  is  I.  Timothy  iv.  4,  5. 
Here  the  Jewish  law  concerning  the  distinction 
between  clean  and  unclean  animals  is  in  ques- 
tion. This  distinction  was  originally  made 
to  help  the  Israelites  to  understand  the  differ- 
ence between  moral  defilement  and  moral  holi- 
ness. (See  Leviticus,  chapter  xi.)  The  Jews 
extended  the  distinction  to  human  life,  re- 
garding the  people  of  all  other  nations  as  un- 
clean. It  was  this  view  that  led  Peter,  upon 
being  sent  for,  to  hesitate  to  go  to  Cornelius. 
But  by  the  vision  of  a sheet  let  down  from 
heaven  filled  with  all  manner  of  beasts  and 
creeping  things  and  fowls,  the  Lord  showed 
him  that  under  the  Gospel  this  old  distinction 
in  the  animal  world  was  done  away  with,  and 


The  Deeper  Life  ii  7 

that  now  the  Gentiles  as  well  as  the  Jews  were 
accounted  clean  in  His  sight  Peter  learned 
his  lesson,  for  in  his  message  to  Cornelius  he 
said:  “Of  a truth  I preceive  that  God  is  no 
respecter  of  persons ; but  in  every  nation  he 
that  feareth  Him  and  worketh  righteousness  is 
accepted  of  Him.,,  (Acts  x.  34,  35.)  With 
reference  to  the  animal  world,  and  especially 
to  food  offered  in  sacrifice  to  idols,  Paul  states 
in  Romans  xiv.  14:  “I  know,  and  am  per- 
suaded by  the  Lord  Jesus,  that  nothing  is  un- 
clean in  itself ; but  to  him  that  esteemeth  any- 
thing to  be  unclean,  to  him  it  is  unclean.” 
Whether,  therefore,  in  the  passage  we  are 
examining,  the  meat  had  been  offered  in  sacri- 
fice to  idols  or  not,  made  no  difference  to  the 
believer  whose  mind  and  heart  were  spiritually 
enlightened.  “For  every  creature  of  God  is 
good,  and  nothing  to  be  refused,  if  it  be  re- 
ceived with  thanksgiving ; for  it  is  sanctified 
by  the  Word  of  God  and  prayer.  Here  the 
means  whereby  the  “creature  of  God”  was 
sanctified  was  “ the  Word  of  God  and  prayer !’ 

Second , Moral  Holiness. 

In  connection  with  the  mode  of  moral  holi- 
ness in  the  Old  Testament  reference  has  al- 
ready been  made  to  the  mystery  attending  all 
the  operations  of  God,  especially  the  working 


n8 


The  Crisis  of 


of  Divine  grace  in  the  human  heart.  Just 
how  God  does  anything  man  may  never  fully 
understand.  If  we  could  always  comprehend 
God,  He  would  cease  to  be  God.  Nevertheless, 
the  teaching  of  the  New  Testament,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  Old  Testament,  is  clear  that  the 
holiness  of  man  flows  from  contact  with  God. 
And  this  contact  is  established  and  maintained 
in  a five-fold  way,  viz.,  by  the  will  of  God, 
by  the  work  of  Christ,  by  the  indwelling  of 
the  Spirit,  by  the  faith  of  the  believer,  and  by 
the  Word  of  God.  Let  us  look  a little  at 
each  of  these  points. 

1.  Christians  are  sanctified  by  the  will  of 
God. 

This  is  the  ground  of  holiness. 

“For  this  is  the  will  of  God,  even  your 
sanctification.”  (I.  Thessalonians  iv.  3.) 

“Then  said  He,  Lo ! I come,  to  do  Thy  will, 
O God 

“By  the  which  will  we  are  sanctified  through 
the  offering  of  the  body  of  Jesus  Christ  once 
for  all.”  (Hebrews  x.  9,  10.) 

2.  Again,  Christians  are  sanctified  by  the 
work  of  Christ. 

This  is  the  procuring  cause  of  holiness.  It 
is  the  historical  or  judicial  aspect  of  sanctifi- 
cation, which  has  already  been  explained,  and 


The  Deeper  Life 


119 

which,  perhaps,  needs  no  further  consideration. 

“For  by  one  offering  He  hath  perfected  for- 
ever them  that  are  sanctified.”  (Hebrews  x. 
I4-) 

“Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  He  might 
sanctify  th£  people  with  His  own  blood,  suf- 
fered without  the  gate.”  (Hebrews  xiii.  12.) 

3.  Again,  Christians  are  sanctified  by  the 
indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

The  Holy  Spirit  is  the  Agent,  so  to  speak, 
of  our  holiness.  On  the  Divine  side  He  is 
the  connecting  link  between  God  and  the 
believer.  This  is,  in  part,  the  experimental 
aspect  of  sanctification  elsewhere  unfolded. 

“And  such  were  some  of  you ; but  ye  are 
washed,  but  ye  are  sanctified,  but  ye  are  justi- 
fied in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  and  by  the 
Spirit  of  God.”  (I.  Corinthians  vi.  11.) 

“But  we  are  bound  to  give  thanks  always  to 
God  for  you,  brethren,  beloved  of  the  Lord, 
because  God  hath  from  the  beginning  chosen 
you  to  salvation,  through  sanctification  of  the 
Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth.”  (II.  Thessa- 
lonians  ii.  13.) 

“Elect  according  to  the  foreknowledge  of 
God  the  Father,  through  sanctification" of  tha 
Spirit,  unto  obedience  and  sprinkling  of  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ:  Grace  be  unto  you. 


120 


The  Crisis  of 


and  peace,  be  multiplied.’’  (I.  Peter  i.  2.) 

Thus  sanctification  is  a Divine  work:  it  is 
ascribed  to  the  joint  action  of  the  Trinity: 

(a.)  The  Father  sanctifies.  “The  very  God 
of  peace  sanctify  you  wholly.”  (I.  Thessa- 
lonians  v.  23.) 

( b .)  The  Son  sanctifies.  “The  blood  of 
Jesus  Christ  His  Son  cleanseth  us  from  all 
sin.”  (I.  John  i.  7.) 

( c .)  The  Holy  Spirit  sanctifies.  “God  hath 
chosen  you  to  salvation  through  sanctification 
of  the  Spirit.”  (I.  Peter  i.  2.) 

4.  Again,  Christians  are  sanctified  by  faith. 

Faith  is  the  human  means,  so  to  speak,  of 
holiness.  This  is  also,  in  part,  the  experi- 
mental aspect  of  sanctification.  On  the  human 
side  faith  is  the  connecting  link  that  brings 
the  believer  into  vital  contact  with  God. 

“And  God,  Who  knoweth  the  hearts,  bare 
them  witness  giving  them  the  Holy  Ghost, 
even  as  He  did  unto  us ; 

“And  put  no  difference  between  us  and 
them,  purifying  their  hearts  by  faith.”  (Acts 
XV.  9.) 

To  open  their  eyes,  and  to  turn, 
them  from  darkness  to  light,  and  from  the 
power  of  Satan  to  God,  that  they  may  receive 


The  Deeper  Life  121 

forgiveness  of  sins,  and  inheritance  among 
them  that  are  sanctified  by  faith  that  is  in 
Me.”  (Acts  xxvi.  18.) 

“ God  hath  from  the  beginning 

chosen  you  to  salvation  through  sanctification 
of  the  Spirit  and  belief  of  the  truth.”  (II. 
Thessalonians  ii.  13.) 

5.  Finally,  Christians  are  sanctified  by  the 
Word  of  God. 

The  Holy  Scriptures,  in  connection  with  the 
Divine  Spirit  and  the  faith  of  the  believer, 
complete  the  means  whereby  experimental 
sanctification  is  secured. 

“Sanctify  them  through  Thy  truth ; Thy 
Word  is  truth.”  (John  xvii.  17.) 

Here  the  expression  “word  of  truth”  prob- 
ably refers  both  to  the  Incarnate  Word  and 
the  Written  Word. 

“Husbands,  love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ 
loved  the  Church,  and  gave  Himself  for  it; 

“That  He  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it 
with  the  washing  of  water  by  the  Word.” 
(Ephesians  v.  25,  26.) 

“Now  are  ye  clean  through  the  Word  which 
I have  spoken  unto  you.”  (John  xv.  3.) 

While  sanctification  is  a Divine  work,  there 
is  one  sense  in  which  the  child  of  God  may  be 


122 


The  Crisis  of 


said  to  sanctify  himself.  This  is  by  the  use 
of  the  Scriptures,  illuminated  by  the  Holy 
Spirit.  In  this  light  we  are  to  understand  a 
class  of  passages,  of  which  the  exhortation  in 
II.  Corinthians  vii.  i,  is  a striking  example: 

“Having  therefore  these  promises,  dearly 
beloved,  let  us  cleanse  ourselves  from  all  filthi- 
ness of  the  flesh  and  spirit,  perfecting  holiness 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.”  See  also  Colossians 
iii.  8,  9 ; Hebrews  x.  22;  James  i.  21 ; I.  Peter 
ii.  11.  In  this  connection  we  may  also  notice 
Psalm  cxix.  9 ; 

“Wherewithal  shall  a young  man  cleanse 
his  way?  By  taking  heed  thereto  according  to 
Thy  Word.” 

Now,  it  is  only  through  the  Holy  Scriptures 
that  the  child  of  God  can  cleanse  himself  from 
all  filthiness  of  the  flesh  and  spirit.  How, 
then,  is  this  cleansing  accomplished?  By  the 
joint  action  of  the  Word  of  God  and  the  Spirit 
of  Truth  applying  the  blood  of  Christ  to  the 
heart  and  life.  Among  the  emblems  of  the 
Scriptures  are  the  mirror  and  the  laver. 

First,  the  Bible  is  a mirror  of  revelation. 
It  shows  us  our  need  of  cleansing. 

“For  if  any  man  be  a hearer  of  the  Word, 
and  not  a doer,  he  is  like  unto  a man  beholding 
his  natural  face  in  a glass ; 


The  Deeper  Life 


123 


“For  he  beholdeth  himself,  and  goeth  his 
way,  and  straightway  forgetteth  what  manner 
of  man  he  was. 

“But  whoso  looketh  into  the  perfect  law  of 
liberty,  and  continueth  therein,  he  being  not  a 
forgetful  hearer,  but  a doer  of  the  word,  this 
man  shall  be  blessed  in  his  deed.”  (James  i. 
22-25.) 

Second,  the  Bible  is  a laver  of  cleansing. 
What  the  light  of  truth  reveals,  the  blood  of 
Christ  cleanses. 

“Husbands,  love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ 
also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  Himself  for 
it; 

“That  He  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with 
the  washing  of  water  by  the  Word.”  (Ephe- 
sians v.  25,  26;  see  also  Exodus  xxx.  17-21; 
John  xv.  3;  and  Titus  iii.  5.) 

When  the  believer  comes  to  the  Scriptures 
with  his  mind  and  heart  illuminated  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  he  finds  his  condition  of  life 
portrayed  therein.  Just  as  a looking-glass 
reflects  dirt  on  the  face,  so  the  Bible  is  a mirror 
of  revelation,  not  only  disclosing  crooked  ways 
but  also  uncovering  secret  faults.  Indeed,  to 
make  use  of  another  Scriptural  figure,  the 
Word  of  God  is  “quick  and  powerful,  and 
sharper  than  any  two-edged  sword,  piercing 


124 


The  Crisis  of 


even  to  the  dividing  asunder  of  the  soul  and 
spirit,  and  of  the  joints  and  marrow,  and  is  a 
discerner  (literally,  a critic)  of  the  thoughts 
and  intents  of  the  heart.”  (Hebrews  iv.  12.) 
The  Holy  Ghost  comes  with  the  light  of  truth 
in  one  hand,  so  to  speak,  and  the  blood  of 
Christ  in  the  other.  What  the  light  reveals , 
the  blood  cleanses.  This  is  the  meaning  of  I. 
John  i.  7.) 

“ If  we  walk  in  the  light  as  He  is  in  the  light, 
we  have  fellowship  one  with  another,  and  the 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  cleanses  us 
from  all  sin.” 

Here  the  Greek  verb  translated  “cleanseth” 
is  in  the  present  tense,  indicative  mood,  and  its 
force  is  to  express  continuous  action  in  present 
time.  Literally,  as  already  mentioned,  it  may 
be  rendered  “keeps  cleansing,”  or,  even  better, 
“keeps  on  cleansing.”  The  idea  is  this:  if  we 
keep  walking  (here  the  verb  is  in  the  present 
subjunctive,  denoting  continuous  action , too) 
in  the  light,  the  blood  will  keep  cleansing  us : 
and  the  result  will  be  that  we  shall  have  fellow- 
ship one  with  another.  That  is,  primarily, 
the  child  of  God  will  have  fellowship  with 
the  Father ; and,  secondarily,  the  children  of 
God  will  have  fellowship  with  one  another. 

Thus,  there  is  a cleansing  power  in  the 


The  Deeper  Life 


125 


Word  of  God,  when  applied  to  our  hearts  by 
the  Divine  Spirit.  How  often  the  blessed 
Comforter  brings  a passage  of  Scripture  or  a 
personal  message  to  our  souls  with  purifying 
influence!  May  this  indeed  not  have  been 
what  the  Psalmist  had  in  mind,  when  he 
prayed:  “Quicken  Thou  me  according  to  Thy 
Word.”  (cxix.  25.) 

Now,  in  conclusion,  let  us  briefly  review  the 
ground  we  have  covered  in  our  study  of 
Scriptural  holiness,  emphasizing  some  already 
familiar  facts  and  anticipating,  perhaps,  some 
new  points  yet  to  be  more  fully  developed: 

1.  In  a general  way  it  may  be  said  that  the 

Scriptural  words  for  holiness  or  sanctification 
have  three  meanings,  namely:  First,  separa- 

tion from  sin ; second,  dedication  to  God ; and 
third,  appointment  to  ministry.  The  funda- 
mental idea  is  the  setting  apart  of  a person  or 
thing  for  the  work  of  God . 

2.  Holiness  is  of  two  kinds — ceremonial 
and  moral.  Ceremonial  holiness  belongs  alike 
to  persons  and  things.  Moral  holiness  belongs 
only  to  persons.  Ceremonial  or  official  holi- 
ness is  purely  a matter  of  external  relationship 
to  God,  and  invests  a person  or  thing  with  a 
sense  of  sacredness.  Moral  holiness,  as  the 
term  implies,  is  spiritual  renovation  of  char' 


126 


The  Crisis  of 


acter  and  practical  righteousness  of  conduct. 

3.  As  a Divine  attribute  holiness  is  purity ; 
God  is  pure  from  every  thought,  feeling,  and 
deed  of  evil. 

4.  Likewise,  as  a requirement  of  the  Christ- 
ian holiness  is  purity ; the  child  of  God,  like  his 
Father,  must  be  free  from  every  thought,  feel- 
ing, and  deed  of  evil.  Purity  is  not  merely  a 
negative  quality,  but  a positive  attribute  as 
well.  Both  in  God  Himself  and  in  the  child 
of  God  purity  involves  the  possession  of  right- 
eousness, goodness,  and  truth.  In  a word, 
the  believer  must  have  the  holiness  of  renewed 
character  and  of  righteous  conduct.  “As  it 
is  written,  'Be  ye  holy;  for  I am  holy/”  (I. 
Peter  i.  16.) 

5.  The  holiness  of  the  Christian  is  the 
holiness  of  Christ.  All  that  God  the  Father 
is  and  all  that  He  requires  of  His  children, 
He  has  embodied  in  His  Son.  “For  in  Him 
dwelleth  all  the  fulness  of  the  Godhead  bodily. 
And  ye  are  complete  in  Him.”  (Colossians  ii. 
9,  10.)  As  we  cannot  offer  to  God  a holiness 
of  our  own,  He  offers  to  us  a holiness  of  His 
own.  Nor  is  the  Giver  apart  from  the  gift ; 
“for  both  He  that  sanctifieth  and  they  that 
are  sanctified  are  all  of  One.”  (Hebrews 
ii.  11.)  The  holiness  which  God  offers  to  us 


The  Deeper  Life 


127 


is  the  holiness  of  His  Son.  Christ  is  the  sum 
and  substance  of  the  believer's  sanctification. 
In  fact,  every  instance  of  the  use  of  the  word 
holiness  or  sanctification  in  the  Scriptures 
seems  to  be  connected,  either  typically  or 
vitally,  with  the  person  of  the  Lord.  Indeed, 
in  one  passage  at  least  this  inseparable  con- 
nection between  holiness  and  the  Holy  One 
becomes  actual  identification.  “But  of  Him 
are  ye  in  Christ  Jesus  Who  of  God  is  made 
unto  us  sanctification.”  (I.  Corinth- 

ians i.  30.) 

6.  Our  holiness  flows  from  contact  unth 
God.  This  contact  has  both  a Divine  and  a 
human  side.  On  the  Divine  side  there  are 
two  points  of  contact — the  work  of  Christ  on 
the  cross,  and  the  personal  indwelling  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  On  the  human  side  there  are 
likewise  two  points  of  contact,  whereby  we 
become  partakers  of  the  holiness  of  Christ — a 
step  of  entire  surrender  and  an  act  of  appro- 
priating faith. 

7.  The  result  of  such  contact  with  Christ 
is  a new  Christian  experience,  a second  definite 
work  of  grace — a crisis  as  radical  and  revolu- 
tionary as  the  crisis  of  conversion.  In  nature 
it  is  not  a gradual  development,  but  a sudden 
change.  In  regeneration  we  pass  out  of  death 


128 


The  Crisis  of 


into  life;  in  sanctification  we  pass  out  of  the 
self-life  into  the  Christ-life.  In  regeneration 
we  receive  a “new  spirit in  sanctification  the 
Holy  Spirit  definitely  and  personally  comes 
and  takes  up  His  abode  within  the  “new 
spirit.”  This  second  and  distinct  work  of 
sanctification  is  connected  with  the  definite 
and  personal  coming  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  our 
hearts.  After  conversion  the  Holy  Spirit  is 
with  us ; but  after  sanctification  the  Holy 
Spirit  is  within  us.  To  make  use  of  the  figure 
of  another,  in  regeneration  the  Holy  Spirit 
builds  His  temple ; but  in  sanctification  He 
moves  in  and  occupies  it.  Thus,  it  is  by  the 
definite  reception  by  faith  of  the  person  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  that  the  vision  of  the  indwelling 
Christ  is  made  real  to  our  hearts. 

8.  Sanctification  means  a radical  and  rev- 
olutionary transformation  of  personality — a 
clean  life  and  a blameless  walk.  But  this  ren- 
ovation of  character  and  conduct  is  only  in 
and  through  Christ  Himself.  Apart  from  the 
person  of  the  Sanctifier  the  blessing  of  sancti- 
fication would  not  be  permanent.  The  cleansed 
temple  must  be  possessed  and  occupied  by  the 
Lord  of  the  temple.  While  the  diver  is  con- 
nected with  the  atmosphere  by  the  breathing 
tube,  he  has  all  the  air  he  needs;  but  discon- 


The  Deeper  Life 


129 


nect  the  breathing  tube  and  the  diver  dies. 
Put  an  iron  in  among  the  coals,  and  the  iron 
is  in  the  fire  and  the  fire  is  in  the  iron,  and 
while  the  iron  is  among  the  coals,  the  fire  ex* 
tends  to  and  sets  in  rapid  motion  every  particle 
of  the  iron ; but  take  the  iron  out  of  the  fire, 
and  it  grows  cold  and  the  particles  become 
still.  In  like  manner,  while  a believer  is  in 
vital  contact  or  conscious  fellowship  with 
Christ,  the  holiness  of  Christ  flows  into  the 
believer  and  becomes  his  personal  possession, 
transforming  his  character  and  conduct.  But 
apart  from  Christ,  the  believer  becomes  cold 
and  dead.  Therefore,  by  loving  obedience  and 
living  fellowship  we  must  abide  in  Christ ; 
for,  as  Jesus  said,  “without  Me  ye  can  do 
nothing.,,  (John  xv.  5.) 


Chapter  VII. 


THE  VISION  OF  VICTORY 

N mountain  climbing  it  is  a good 
thing  to  rest  occasionally  and  look 
back  over  the  land  that  lies  below 
and  try  to  catch  a glimpse  of  the 
height  that  looms  beyond.  So  in 
our  ascent  of  the  pathway  to  vic- 
tory let  us  pause  now  for  a review 
and  an  outlook. 

At  the  outset  we  saw  that  Christianity  is 
inseparable  from  the  person  of  Christ;  that 
He  is  the  sum  of  all  the  doctrines  of  grace 
and  the  substance  of  all  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit. 
Then  we  saw  that  salvation  begins  in  deliver- 
ance from  the  penalty  and  guilt  of  sin  and  in 
receiving  a new  heart  and  a new  spirit.  Next 
we  saw  that  after  the  birth  from  above  comes 
the  wilderness  experience  with  its  ceaseless 
struggle  and  inevitable  defeat.  Inquiring  dili- 
gently for  the  cause  of  this  mixed  experience, 
we  saw  that  it  was  the  poison  of  sin.  And 
finally,  having  seen  what  sin  is,  we  found  the 
antidote  to  be  Divine  holiness. 

This  is  the  review.  What,  now,  is  the  out- 
look? Well,  it  is  one  thing  to  diagnose  a 


The  Deeper  Life  13 1 

disease  and  analyze  the  properties  of  its  specific 
remedy.  It  is  quite  another  thing,  however,  to 
apply  the  remedy  and  cure  the  disease.  In 
other  words,  it  is  one  thing  to  know  what  sin 
is  and  understand  the  teaching  of  the  Scrip- 
tures concerning  holiness.  But  it  is  quite 
another  thing  to  conquer  sin  and  enter  upon  a 
life  of  practical  victory.  We  have  seen  the 
need  and  nature  of  sanctification:  this  is  the 
land  that  lies  below.  We  are  now  to  inquire 
into  the  process  whereby  sanctification  may  be- 
come a present  possession:  this  is  the  height 
that  looms  beyond.  All  along,  however,  we 
have  been  catching  occasional  glimpses  of  the 
“higher  ground.” 

We  have  seen  that  the  holiness  of  the 
Christian  flows  from  vital  contact  with  God . 
This  contact  has  both  a Divine  and  a human 
side.  On  the  Divine  side  there  are  two  points 
of  contact,  namely:  the  cross  of  Christ,  and 
the  work  of  the  Spirit. 

The  first  point  of  Divine  contact,  whereby 
holiness  is  received,  is  the  cross  of  Christ; 
and  the  first  step  in  the  pathway  of  victory  is 
a vision  of  the  cross. 

In  Christian  experience  the  apprehension  of 
Divine  truth  comes  before  its  appropriation 
and  realization.  Vision  precedes  victory.  The 


132 


The  Crisis  of 


child  of  God  must  see  his  spiritual  inheritance 
before  he  can  enter  upon  its  actual  possession. 
In  sanctification  the  highlands  of  deliverance 
loom  up  while  the  believer  is  struggling  along 
on  the  lowlands  of  defeat.  It  was  thus  in  the 
typical  history  of  the  Israelites.  While  they 
were  making  their  weary  and  dreary  marches 
in  the  wilderness  of  Sinai,  spies  were  sent  over 
into  Canaan.  Twelve  chosen  men  walked  to 
and  fro  throughout  the  Land  of  Promise  and 
brought  back  the  grapes  of  Eschol  as  a sample 
of  the  fruitfulness  of  the  country  and  as  a wit- 
ness to  the  faithfulness  of  Jehovah.  It  was 
thus  with  the  man  in  the  seventh  chapter  of 
Romans.  The  star  of  hope  appeared  in  the 
midnight  of  despair.  It  was  while  he  was 
struggling  for  deliverance  from  the  domin- 
ion of  sin  that  his  eye  caught  by  faith  a vision 
of  the  cross  with  its  promise  and  potency  of 
victory.  Triumphantly,  he  shouted,  “I  thank 
God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.” 

This  shout  of  triumph  gives  us  the  keynote 
of  deliverance.  Let  us  try  to  see  clearly  just 
what  the  vision  of  victory  is.  It  is  all  wrapped 
Up  in  the  simple  phrase:  “through  Jesus  Christ 
our  Lord.”  This  expression  means  three 
things:  First,  our  identification  with  Christ  in 
His  crucifixion ; second,  our  identification  with 


The  Deeper  Life 


133 


Christ  in  His  resurrection ; and  third,  Christ's 
identification  with  us  through  His  personal  in- 
dwelling. 

I.  Our  identification  with  Christ  in  Hi9 
crucifixion. 

There  are  two  aspects  in  which  the  believer 
stands  related  to  the  cross  of  Christ,  viz. : sub- 
stitution and  identification. 

Of  these  truths  perhaps  substitution  is  the 
more  familiar.  Christ  died  for  us.  He  bore 
our  sins  on  the  cross.  He  took  our  place  under 
wrath  and  endured  the  penalty  which  we  des- 
erved. This  is  the  vision  of  the  cross  which 
comes  to  the  helpless  sinner;  and  when  he 
appropriates  it  by  faith  it  brings  salvation 
from  the  guilt  of  sin.  This  is  the  meaning 
of  “Christ  our  Saviour.”  This  substitutional 
aspect  of  the  cross  is  typified  in  the  Old  Testa-* 
ment  by  the  scapegoat  in  the  sixteenth  chapter 
of  Leviticus.  Aaron  laid  both  his  hands  upon 
the  head  of  the  scapegoat  and  confessed  over 
it  all  the  iniquities  of  the  Children  of  Israel. 
In  symbol  all  the  transgressions  of  the  people 
were  put  upon  the  head  of  the  goat,  which 
was  afterwards  led  away  into  the  wilderness 
to  die.  It  was  regarded  as  an  unclean  thing 
and  its  whole  body  was  counted  a mass  of 
corruption.  This  was  the  picture  which  Isaiah 


134 


The  Crisis  of 


had  in  mind  when  he  exclaimed:  “All  we 

like  sheep  have  gone  astray;  we  have  turned 
every  one  to  his  own  way ; and  the  Lord  hath 
laid  on  Him  (literally,  caused  to  meet  on 
Him)  the  iniquity  of  us  all.”  (liii.  6.) 

“Wherefore  Jesus  also,  that  He  might  sanc- 
tify the  people  with  His  own  blood,  suffered 
without  the  gate.”  (Hebrews  xiii.  12.) 

The  second  aspect  of  our  relation  to  the 
cross — identification — needs  special  emphasis, 
because  it  is  not  well  understood  by  all  Chris- 
tians. Christ  died  for  us — that  is  true ; but  it 
is  only  half  the  truth.  We  died  in  Christ — • 
that  is  the  other  half  of  the  truth.  The  state- 
ment is  only  partially  true  that  Christ  died  for 
us  that  we  might  escape  punishment.  It  re- 
quires also  to  be  said  that  God  regards  us  as 
having  been  punished  in  Christ.  To  make  the 
truth  individual,  in  the  person  of  my  Substitute 
I bore  the  penalty  of  sin.  In  Him  the  law 
exhausted  its  power  of  death  upon  me.  When 
Christ  died,  I died  too.  With  reference  to  the 
claim  of  the  law  and  the  power  of  sin,  I am, 
in  the  sight  of  God,  counted  as  a dead  man. 
This  is  what  Paul  meant,  when  he  declared, 
“I  am  crucified  with  Christ.”  (Galatians  ii. 
20.)  This  also  is  the  clear  teaching  of  such 
passages  as  the  following: 


The  Deeper  Life 


135 


“Know  ye  not,  that  so  many  of  us  as  were 
baptised  into  Jesus  Christ,  were  baptised  into 
His  death? 

“Therefore  we  are  buried  with  Him  by  bap- 
tism unto  death;  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised 
from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even 
so  we  also  should  walk  in  newness  of  life.” 
(Romans  vi.  4,  5.) 

“For  he  that  is  dead  is  freed  (literally,  jus- 
tified) from  sin. 

“Now  if  we  be  dead  with  Christ,  we  believe 
that  we  shall  live  with  Him.”  (Romans  vi. 
8.) 

“Likewise  reckon  ye  also  yourselves  to  be 
dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.”  (Romans 

vi.  11.) 

“Wherefore,  my  brethren,  ye  also  are  be- 
come dead  to  the  law  by  the  body  of  Christ; 
that  ye  should  be  married  to  another,  even  to 
Him  Who  is  raised  from  the  dead,  that  ye 
should  bring  forth  fruit  unto  God.”  (Romans 

vii.  4.) 

“For  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us ; 
because  we  thus  judge,  that  if  One  died  for 
all,  then  zvere  all  dead.  (II.  Corinthians  v.  14.) 

“For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God.”  (Colossians  iii.  3.) 


136 


The  Crisis  of 


“ Buried  with  Him  in  baptism , wherein  also 
ye  are  risen  with  Him  through  the  faith  of 
the  operation  of  God,  Who  raised  Him  from 
the  dead.”  (Colossians  ii.  12.) 

II.  Our  indentification  with  Christ  in  His 
resurrection. 

This  is  the  second  part  of  the  vision  of 
victory.  In  the  same  two  aspects  in  which  tht 
believer  stands  related  to  the  crucifixion  of 
Christ  he  also  stands  related  to  His  resurrec- 
tion— substitution,  and  identification.  Christ 
was  our  Substitute  both  in  His  crucifixion  and 
in  His  resurrection ; not  only  did  He  die  for  us 
on  the  cross ; for  us  also  He  arose  from  the 
grave. 

“Who  was  delivered  for  our  offences,  and 
raised  again  for  our  justification  ” (Romans 
iv.  25.) 

“And  if  Christ  be  not  risen , then  is  our 
preaching  vain ; and  your  faith  is  vain.” 

“And  if  Christ  be  not  risen , your  faith  is 
vain ; ye  are  yet  in  your  sins.” 

“But  now  is  Christ  risen  from  the  dead, 
and  become  the  first  fruits  of  them  that  slept.” 
(I.  Corinthians  xv.  14,  17,  20.) 

Thus,  the  death  of  Christ  alone  would  not 
have  saved;  His  resurrection  was  necessary 
to  complete  our  redemption. 


The  Deeper  Life 


137 


Now,  in  His  resurrection,  as  well  as  in 
His  crucifixion,  the  believer  is  identified  with 
Christ.  This  is  what  Paul  meant  when  he  said, 
“I  am  crucified  with  Christ;  nevertheless  I 
live”  (Galatians  ii.  20.)  To  make  the  truth 
personal,  I died  with  Christ;  but  I also  rose 
with  Him.  I was  in  Him  when  He  hung  on 
the  cross  and  when  He  lay  in  the  grave ; but 
I was  also  in  Him  when  He  burst  the  bands 
of  death  on  the  morning  of  the  resurrection. 
Indeed,  the  Apostle  Paul  carries  the  identifica- 
tion still  farther:  “Even  when  we  were  dead 

in  sins,  (God)  hath  quickened  us  together 
with  Christ,  (by  grace  are  ye  saved;)  and 
hath  raised  us  up  together,  and  made  us  sit 
together  in  heavenly  places  in  Christ  Jesus.” 
(Ephesians  ii.  5,  6.)  “Crucified  with  Christ” 
— this  expresses  the  death-side  of  our  union 
with  the  Lord.  “Risen  with  Christ” — this  ex- 
presses the  life-side  of  our  union  with  Him. 
Let  us  take  a few  verses  which  bring  out  this 
life-side  of  our  union  with  Christ — our  identi- 
fication with  Him  in  His  resurrection: 

“Therefore,  we  are  buried  with  Him  by 
baptism  unto  death ; that  like  as  Christ  was 
raised  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the 
Father,  even  so  we  also  should  walk  in  new- 
ness of  life”  (Romans  vi.  4. 'I 


The  Crisis  of 


138 

“Likewise  reckon  ye  also  yourselves  to  be 
dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord/’  (Romans 
vi.  II.) 

“For  the  love  of  Christ  constraineth  us ; 
because  we  thus  judge,  that  if  One  died  for 
all,  then  were  all  dead  (literally,  all  died)  : 

“And  that  He  died  for  all,  that  they  which 
live  should  not  live  unto  themselves , hut  unto 
Him  which  died  for  them,  and  rose  again/’  (II. 
Corinthians  v.  14,  15.) 

“Buried  with  Him  in  baptism,  wherein  yt 
also  are  risen  with  Him  through  the  faith  of 
the  operation  of  God,  Who  hath  raised  Him 
from  the  dead.”  (Colossians  ii.  12.) 

“If  ye  then  he  risen  with  Christ,  seek  those 
things  which  are  above,  where  Christ  sitteth  at 
the  right  hand  of  God. 

“For  ye  are  dead,  and  your  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God.”  (Colossians  iii.  1,  3.) 

III.  Christ's  identification  with  us  through 
His  personal  indwelling. 

This  is  the  last  part  of  the  vision  of  victory 
and  the  most  glorious  of  all.  Christ  Himself 
by  the  Holy  Ghost,  will  come  and  dwell  in  our 
hearts  and  live  out  His  own  life  within  us. 
This  is  what  Paul  meant,  when  he  said,  “I 
am  crucified  with  Christ;  nevertheless  I live; 


The  Deeper  Life 


139 


yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me .”  (Galatians 
ii.  20.)  This  also  is  the  clear  teaching  of  such 
passages  as  the  following : 

“At  that  day  ye  shall  know  that  I am  in 
My  Father,  and  ye  in  Me,  and  I in  you. 

“He  that  hath  My  commandments,  and 
keepeth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  Me ; and  he 
that  loveth  Me  shall  be  loved  of  My  Father, 
and  I will  love  him,  and  will  manifest  Myself 
to  him”  (John  xiv.  20,  21.) 

“To  whom  God  would  make  known  what 
is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this  mystery  among 
the  Gentiles ; which  is  Christ  in  you , the  hope 
of  glory.”  (Colossians  i.  27.) 

It  is  a glorious  revelation  that  Christ  will 
live  in  us  and  manifest  Himself  to  us.  Can 
we  take  in  this  sublime  truth  with  its  stupen- 
dous significance?  The  Christ  Who  was  born 
as  a Babe  in  Bethlehem ; Who  grew  to  man- 
hood in  the  humble  home  in  Nazareth ; Who 
lived  a life  of  holy  obedience  to  His  Father's 
will ; Who  died  on  the  cross  as  a sacrifice  for 
sin ; Who  ascended  to  heaven  and  seated  Him- 
self at  the  right  hand  of  God  as  our  Advocate 
and  High  Priest;  and  Who  is  coming  back 
again  to  this  dark  and  sin-cursed  earth  to 
transform  it  into  Edenic  beauty  and  reign 
in  righteousness  and  peace : — this  blessed 


140 


The  Crisis  of 


Christ  of  God  will  come  into  my  poor  heart 
and  make  His  home  there  and  live  out  His  own 
life  within  me  by  the  indwelling  presence  and 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Surely  this  must 
be  “the  fulness  of  the  blessing  of  the  Gospel 
of  Christ,”  of  which  the  great  apostle  to  the 
Gentiles  speaks.  (Romans  xv.  29.) 

This,  then,  is  the  first  step  in  the  pathway 
to  victory.  The  Christian  who  is  struggling 
with  sin  and  helpless  in  defeat  must  come  to 
see  that  in  the  thought  of  God  he  was  identi- 
fied with  Christ  in  His  crucifixion  and  in  His 
resurrection.  Indeed,  the  transaction  on  Cal- 
vary was  as  real  as  if  the  child  of  God  had 
himself  actually  died  and  been  restored  to 
life.  Paul  declares  that  not  merely  a part  of 
himself — “the  carnal  mind,”  “the  flesh,”  or 
“the  old  man” — but  rather  the  whole  of  him- 
self, so  to  speak,  had  passed  through  the 
mysterious  and  mystical  experience  of  the 
cross.  He  uses  personal  pronouns.  Thus, 
of  himself  he  says,  “/  am  crucified  with  Christ: 
nevertheless  I live.”  (Galatians  ii.  20.)  Like- 
wise of  believers  he  asserts,  “For  ye  are  dead, 
and  your  life  is  hid  with  Christ  in  God.” 
(Colossians  iii.  3.)  Yet  there  is  no  loss  of 
individuality.  Personal  identity  and  moral 
responsibility  are  not  destroyed.  Just’  as  it 


The  Deeper  Life 


141 

is  the  same  seed  which  corrupts  in  the  ground, 
yet  germinates  in  beauty  and  fruitfulness;  so 
it  is  the  same  believer  who  is  crucified  with 
Christ,  yet  is  also  risen  with  Him,  evermore 
to  “walk  in  newness  of  life.,,  (Romans 
vi.  4.)  Not  to  His  own  death  and  resurrection 
alone,  but  as  well  to  the  death  and  resurrection 
of  His  people  in  Him,  our  Lord  applied  the 
wonderful  principle  of  corruption  and  germina- 
tion in  nature  in  these  words: 

“Except  a corn  of  wheat  fall  into  the  earth 
and  die,  it  abideth  alone ; but  if  it  die  it  bring- 
eth  forth  much  fruit. 

“He  that  loveth  his  life  shall  lose  it;  but 
he  that  loseth  his  life  in  this  world  shall  keep 
it  unto  life  eternal.”  (John  xii.  24,  25.) 

Thus,  the  crucifixion  and  resurrection  of  the 
believer  with  Christ  are  not  the  extinction  of 
his  individual  existence,  but  rather  its  repro- 
duction and  multiplication.  Moreover,  the  use 
of  the  personal  pronoun  marks  the  continuity 
of  conscious  life.  Thus,  “7  am  crucified  with 
Christ : nevertheless  / live ; yet  not  /,  but 
Christ  liveth  in  me”  (Galatians  ii.  20.) 
Agafri,  “If  we  be  dead  with  Christ,  we  be- 
lieve that  we  shall  live  with  Him.”  (Romans 
vi.  8.) 

But  now,  if  the  identification  of  the  believer 


142 


The  Crisis  of 


with  Christ  in  crucifixion  and  resurrection 
does  not  involve  the  loss  of  individuality  or 
the  destruction  of  personal  identity  and  moral 
responsibility,  what  does  take  place?  Ah! 
herein  is  one  of  the  miracles  and  mysteries 
of  redemption.  The  cross  has  a separating 
power . It  separates  us  from  the  world , from 
our  sins,  from  our  sin , and  from  self.  When 
by  faith  we  identify  ourselves  with  Christ  in 
His  death,  we  are  released  from  “the  carnal 
mind;’*  we  are  separated  from  “the  flesh ;” 
we  are  detached  from  the  self-life;  in  short, 
we  “put  off  concerning  the  former  conversa- 
tion the  old  man,  which  is  corrupt  accord- 
ing to  the  deceitful  lusts.”  (Ephesians  iv.  22.) 
But  the  cross  has  a power  of  attachment  as 
well  as  a power  of  detachment.  While  it  de- 
taches us  from  the  old  life  of  nature,  it  attaches 
us  to  the  new  life  of  grace.  When  by  faith 
we  identify  ourselves  with  Christ  in  His  resur- 
rection, we  become  “renewed  in  the  spirit  of 
our  minds;”  we  “put  on  the  new  man,  which 
after  God  is  created  in  righteousness  and  true 
holiness ;”  and,  highest  of  all,  we  “put  on  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,”  Who  is  thus  “made  unto 
us  sanctification.”  (I.  Corinthians  i.  30.) 

Thus,  through  the  cross  of  Christ,  God  has 
made  provision  whereby,  without  the  loss  of 


The  Deeper  Life 


143 


individuality  or  the  destruction  of  personal 
identity  and  moral  responsibility,  believers  are 
detached  from  the  old  life  of  the  flesh , and 
attached  to  the  new  life  of  the  Spirit . “He 
that  is  joined  to  the  Lord  is  one  Spirit.”  (I. 
Corinthians  vi.  17.)  The  cross  destroys  the 
dominion  of  sin  and  the  power  of  the  flesh. 
Self  is  dethroned,  and  Christ  is  enthroned.  The 
process  is  indeed  mysterious  and  mystical,  but 
the  result  is  very  real  and  practical. 

Far  more  sublime  and  glorious  than  either 
eradication  or  suppression  is  the  truth  of  the 
indwelling  Christ.  Eradication  would  take 
out  of  the  heart  the  principle  of  sin,  while 
suppression  would  keep  the  principle  of  sin 
bound  down  and  in  subjection  in  the  heart. 
But  sanctification  through  the  indwelling 
Christ  means  that  not  only  the  principle  of  sin, 
but  the  heart  itself  in  which  the  principle  of 
sin  resides ; yea  more — the  very  person  him- 
self in  his  entire  being  is  nailed  to  the  cross 
and  is  raised  again  in  vital  and  inseparable 
union  with  the  Lord.  So  that  we  may  now  say 
with  Paul,  “I  am  crucified  with  Christ:  never- 
theless I live  ; yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me : 
and  the  life  which  I now  live  in  the  flesh  I 
live  by  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God  Who  loved 


144 


The  Crisis  of 


me  and  gave  Himself  for  me.”  (Galatians 
ii.  20.) 

Once  there  lived  another  man  within  me, 

Child  of  earth  and  slave  of  Satan  he; 

But  I nailed  him  to  the  cross  of  Jesus, 

And  that  man  is  nothing  now  to  me. 

Now  Another  Man  is  living  in  me, 

And  I count  His  blessed  life  as  mine; 

I have  died  with  Him  to  all  my  own  life; 

I have  ris’n  to  all  His  life  divine. 

— Rev.  A.  B.  Simpson. 

Of  this  two-fold  identification  of  the  b* 
liever  with  Christ  in  His  death  and  resur- 
rection baptism  is  an  impressive  symbolical 
representation.  The  popular  conception  of  the 
ordinance  of  baptism  is  that  it  is  a sort  of 
badge  of  Christianity.  Just  as  a member  of  a 
lodge  or  faternal  order  receives  a badge  or 
medal  as  evidence  of  his  initiation,  so  baptism 
is  regarded  as  a sign  of  membership  in  a 
Christian  Church.  There  is  of  course  a meas- 
ure of  truth  in  this  view,  inasmuch  as  baptism 
is  one  of  the  marks  of  distinction  between  a 
believer  and  an  unbeliever.  But  Christian 
baptism  has  a far  deeper  significance  than  this. 
Of  the  two  ordinances  of  the  New  Testament 
baptism  is  the  sign  and  seal  of  our  union  with 
Christ,  and  the  Lord's  Supper  is  a sign  and 
seal  of  our  communion  with  Christ. 


The  Deeper  Life 


145 


Baptism  has  a two-fold  significance.  In  the 
first  place,  it  is  the  outward  sign  and  visible 
seal  of  the  inner  work  of  grace  wrought  by 
the  Spirit  of  God  in  regeneration.  It  is  the 
testimony  before  the  world  of  the  fact  of  con- 
version. It  is  a personal  confession  of  Jesus 
Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord  and  of  the  decision 
to  follow  His  footsteps  in  holy  obedience. 
The  candidate  is  not  only  baptized  into  the 
name  of  the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  but  he  is  made  partaker  of  the  Divine 
nature.  In  the  New  Testament  the  rite  of 
baptism  is  connected  with  the  grace  of  for- 
giveness. Indeed,  so  close  is  this  relationship 
that  many  mistake  the  outward  ceremony  for 
the  inward  experience.  But  while  baptism 
and  the  forgiveness  of  sins  go  together,  yet 
the  remission  of  sins  or  regeneration  comes 
first.  In  fact,  the  rite  of  baptism  pre-supposes 
that  the  one  who  is  baptized  has  already  been 
forgiven  and  been  begotten  from  above.  The 
relationship  is  similar  to  that  between  betrothal 
and  marriage.  The  wedding  ceremony  pre- 
supposes that  the  two  hearts  have  been  made 
one  by  the  plighted  troth;  otherwise,  there  is 
a wedding  only  in  name.  So  the  ordinance  of 
baptism  apart  from  the  vital  union  of  the  soul 
with  Christ  becomes  a mere  form. 


146 


The  Crisis  of 


But,  in  the  second  place,  baptism  in  its 
deeper  spiritual  meaning  is  a symbol  of  death. 
It  is  not  a rite  of  cleansing,  but  a type  of  cruci- 
fixion. Thus  the  Apostle  Paul  says : 

"Know  ye  not  that  so  many  of  us  as  were 
baptized  into  Jesus  Christ,  were  baptized  into 
His  death  f 

"Therefore,  we  are  buried  with  Him  by  bap- 
tism into  death ; that  like  as  Christ  was  raised 
up  from  the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father, 
even  so  we  also  should  walk  in  newness  of 
life/’  (Romans  vi.  3,  4.) 

“Buried  with  Him  in  baptism > wherein  also 
ye  are  risen  with  Him  through  the  faith  of 
the  operation  of  God,  Who  raised  Him  from 
the  dead.”  (Colossians  ii.  12.) 

Thus,  baptism  is  a symbolical  representation 
of  the  believer’s  death,  burial,  and  resurrection 
with  Christ.  It  is,  as  someone  has  graphically 
expressed  it,  "the  funeral  service  of  the  old 
life.”  On  the  one  hand,  we  are  "buried  with 
Him  by  baptism  into  death and  on  the  other 
hand,  we  are  "risen  with  Him  through  the  faith 
of  the  operation  of  God,”  in  order  that  "like 
as  Christ  was  raised  up  from  the  dead  by  the 
glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also  should 
walk  in  newness  of  life.” 

Many  Christians  do  not  see  this  deeper 


• The  Deeper  Life  V4 7 

meaning  of  baptism.  Others,  like  the  Roman 
disciples,  come  to  see  it  subsequent  to  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  ordinance.  But  some 
children  of  God  see  it  and  enter  into  it  at  the 
very  time  of  their  baptism.  In  fact,  in  many 
instances  it  is  the  desire  to  follow  their  Lord 
in  holy  obedience  that  leads  believers  to  be 
baptized.  It  is,  indeed,  of  the  very  highest  im- 
portance to  see  that  baptism  means  death  and 
resurrection ; since  to  the  mind  and  heart  that 
are  thus  spiritually  illuminated,  this  fact  be- 
comes an  aid  to  practical  holiness.  The 
believer  who  enters  by  faith,  either  at  the  time 
or  at  a later  season,  into  the  deeper  significance 
of  baptism  is  enabled  thereby  the  better  to 
realize  experimentally  the  sanctifying  power  of 
the  truth  of  his  union  with  Christ  in  His  death 
and  resurrection. 

Discouraged  and  despairing  heart,  this  is  the 
pathway  to  victory.  Do  you  catch  the  vision? 
On  that  dark  day  of  the  crucifixion,  nearly 
nineteen  hundred  years  ago,  you  died  with 
your  Lord  on  Calvary  and  with  Him  were 
laid  away  in  Joseph's  tomb.  But  on  that 
bright  and  glorious  morning  of  the  resurrec- 
tion you  stepped  forth  with  your  Lord  from 
the  open  grave,  evermore  to  “walk  in  new- 
ness of  life.”  Beloved,  do  you  not  see  the 


148 


The  Crisis  of 


truth?  Look!  Like  Moses  on  Nebo’s  loft 
height  the  Land  of  Promise  even  now  it 
spread  out  before  your  fainting  eyes.  It  is 
true  that  Moses  died  outside  the  land;  but  it 
is  your  glorious  privilege  to  enter  in.  If  you 
have  seen  the  vision,  God  will  make  it  real. 
He  does  not  mock  His  children  with  vain 
hopes.  He  does  not,  like  the  mirage  of  the 
desert,  lure  on  the  thirsting  soul  to  disappoint- 
ment and  disaster.  Your  feet  are  yet  to  tread 
the  Land  of  Promise.  You  are  to  enter  into 
rest.  You  are  to  be  set  free  from  the  law  of 
sin  and  death  by  the  law  of  the  Spirit  of  life 
in  Christ  Jesus.  But  you  must  see  your 
inheritance  before  you  can  possess  it.  Ap- 
prehension comes  first,  and  then  appropriation. 
The  vision  precedes  the  victory. 

It  cannot  be  too  strongly  emphasized  that 
the  Christian  life  is  a Christ-life.  It  is  not 
an  imitation,  but  an  incarnation.  We  do  not 
copy  Christ,  we  reproduce  Him;  or,  rather, 
He  reproduces  His  own  life  within  us  by 
the  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

A young  American  student  sat  in  a National 
Art  Gallery  in  Europe,  trying  to  copy  a famous 
painting  by  one  of  the  old  masters.  Patiently 
he  toiled  at  his  easel,  but  with  unsatisfactory 
results.  His  work  was  a poor  imitation  of 


The  Deeper  Life 


149 


the  original.  One  day  he  fell  asleep  over  hijs 
canvas  and  as  he  slept  he  dreamed.  He 
dreamed  that  the  spirit  of  the  old  master  took 
possession  of  his  brain  and  hand.  Eagerly 
he  seized  his  brush,  and  rapidly  reproduce  i 
the  masterpiece  before  him.  His  work  re- 
ceived the  highest  praise.  It  had  the  artistic 
finish  and  touch  of  genius  of  the  original.  At 
once  his  picture  took  its  place  among  the 
famous  paintings  of  the  world,  and  the  young 
artist  himself  was  acclaimed  as  a new  master. 
But  the  poor  student  awoke  to  find  it  all  a 
dream,  and  in  bitter  disappointment  applied 
himself  to  his  fruitless  task. 

But,  beloved,  spiritually  the  young  artist's 
dream  may  be  gloriously  true.  We  study 
the  character  of  Christ  as  portrayed  in  the 
Gospels.  We  recognize  that  His  spotless  pur- 
ity and  perfect  obedience  constitute  the  only 
standard  of  character  and  conduct  acceptable 
to  God.  Then  we  try  to  imitate  Christ.  We 
struggle  for  His  spotless  purity  and  strive 
after  His  perfect  obedience.  But  at  ever) 
turn  we  fail.  Finally,  in  our  discouragemenl 
and  despair,  God  gives  us  the  vision  of  the 
indwelling  Christ.  The  Divine  Master  will 
live  in  His  disciples.  Inseparably  He  will 
unite  Himself  to  us,  blending  His  life  with 


The  Deeper  Life 


150 

ours  and  our  lives  with  His.  Christ  will  think 
through  our  minds.  Christ  will  love  through 
our  hearts.  Christ  will  act  through  our  wills. 
Christ  will  keep  the  law  within  us.  Christ  will 
please  His  Father  within  us.  Christ  will  de- 
stroy the  dominion  of  sin  and  the  power  of  the 
flesh,  dethrone  self,  and  reign  supreme  in  oui 
lives.  In  a word,  all  we  cannot  be  and  all 
we  cannot  do  of  ourselves  Christ  Himself  will 
be  within  us  and  do  within  us.  May  we  not 
make  these  lines  from  a poem  by  Frances 
Ridley  Haver  gal  our 

“Live  out  Thy  life  within  me, 

O Jesus,  King  of  kings; 

Be  Thou  Thyself  the  answer 
To  all  my  questionings® 


Chapter  VIII. 


THE  REALIZATION  OF  VICTORY 

HERE  remaineth  therefore  a rest 
to  the  people  of  God.”  (Hebrews 
iv.  9.)  This  is  not  the  rest  of  re- 
ward in  heaven,  but  the  rest  of 
faith  here  upon  earth.  It  is  a 
triumphant  Christian  life,  an  ex- 
perience of  relief  from  struggle, 
of  deliverance  from  sin,  and  of 
victory  over  self  through  the  indwelling  of  the 
risen  Christ  and  the  baptism  and  fulness  of  the; 
Holy  Ghost.  Not  for  realization  but  for  in- 
spiration are  the  ideals  of  common  life:  but 
in  spiritual  life  visions  may  become  verities. 
Thus  after  the  vision  of  victory  comes  the 
realization  of  victory.  What  the  believer  has 
apprehended  by  Divine  illumination  he  must' 
also  appropriate  by  an  act  of  entire  surrendei 
and  a step  of  aggressive  faith. 

The  vision  of  victory  apart  from  its  realiza- 
tion is  powerless  to  deliver.  From  Mount 
Nebo’s  lofty  height  Moses  viewed  the  land- 
scape o’er  ; but  he  died  outside  in  the  barren 
wastes  of  Moab.  The  Children  of  Israel 


152 


The  Crisis  of 


caught  a glimpse  of  Canaan  through  the  re- 
port of  the  spies;  but  they  perished  in  the 
weary  and  dreary  wilderness.  Moses  was  kept 
out  of  the  Land  of  Promise  by  disobedience  ; 
and  the  Israelites  could  not  enter  in  because  of 
their  unbelief.  (Hebrews  iii.  19.)  Of  the 
entire  generation  that  left  Egypt,  Caleb  and 
Joshua  alone  crossed  the  Jordan;  and  they 
received  their  covenant  inheritance  because! 
they  “wholly  followed  the  Lord.” 

Moreover,  a vision  without  victory  works 
harm  to  the  soul.  Loss  always  results  from  the 
apprehension  of  spiritual  truth  apart  from  its 
realization.  Indeed,  one  can  never  see  Divine 
things  and  afterwards  be  quite  the  same.  For 
this  reason  God  sometimes  withholds  light 
which  He  knows  will  not  be  followed.  If  the 
heavenly  light  be  permitted  to  fade  away, 
the  heart  will  be  left  in  even  greater  darkness. 
If  the  vision  of  victory  over  the  dominion 
of  sin  and  the  power  of  the  flesh  through 
the  indwelling  Christ  is  not  transformed  into 
a glorious  reality  by  the  definite  reception  of 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  through  a step  of 
entire  surrender  and  an  act  of  appropriating 
faith,  the  believer  will  be  plunged  into  strug- 
gles and  defeats  still  more  hopeless  and  des- 


The  Deeper  Life 


153 


pairing.  We  dare  not,  then,  pause  on  the 
threshold  of  our  inheritance.  We  have  now 
put  our  hand  to  the  plow,  so  to  speak;  to  gc 
back,  or  even  to  look  back,  would  be  to  invite 
spiritual  disaster.  With  reference  to  the  deepei 
life  of  faith  the  writer  of  the  epistle  to  the 
Hebrews  says: 

“But  if  any  man  draw  back,  my  soul  shall 
have  no  pleasure  in  him.” 

By  way  of  encouragement,  however,  he 
quickly  adds: 

“But  we  are  not  of  them  that  draw  back 
unto  perdition ; but  of  them  that  believe  to 
the  saving  of  the  soul.”  (x.  38,  39.) 

How,  then,  may  the  vision  of  victory  be 
transformed  into  the  realization  of  victory? 
By  the  definite  reception  of  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  through  a step  of  entire  surrender 
and  an  act  of  appropriating  faith.  We  have 
already  seen  that  the  holiness  of  the  Christian 
flows  from  contact  with  God . This  contact 
has  both  a Divine  and  a human  side.  On  the 
Divine  side  there  are  two  points  of  contact, 
namely:  the  identification  of  the  believer  with 
Christ  in  His  death  and  resurrection  and  the 
definite  reception  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  On  the  human  side  there  are  also 


154 


The  Crisis  of 


two  points  of  contact,  namely : a step  of  entire 
surrender  and  the  receiving  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
through  an  act  of  appropriating  faith. 

Now,  the  identification  of  the  believer  with 
Christ  in  His  death  and  resurrection  is  the 
historical  and  incomplete  side  of  holiness ; 
the  transformation  of  the  believer  in  character 
and  conduct  through  the  reception  of  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the  experimental 
and  complete  side  of  holiness.  The  vision 
of  the  cross  and  the  indwelling  Christ  is  the 
first  step  in  the  pathway  to  victory.  That 
step  we  have  already  taken.  The  definite 
reception  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  through 
a step  of  entire  surrender  and  an  act  of  appro- 
priating faith  is  the  second  step  in  the  path- 
way to  victory.  This  step  we  are  now  to 
take. 

In  regeneration  God  gives  us  a “new  spirit.” 
In  sanctification  He  puts  within  us  the  Holy 
Spirit.  (“My  Spirit;”  Ezekiel  xxxvi.  26, 
27.)  Regeneration  is  the  result  of  the  gra- 
cious inworking  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Sanctifi- 
cation is  the  result  of  the  personal  indwelling 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Consequently,  after  re- 
generation the  Holy  Spirit  is  with  us ; but 
after  sanctification  He  is  within  us.  Now,  the 
experience  of  sanctification  through  the  in- 


The  Deeper  Life 


155 


dwelling  Christ  is  realized  in  connection  with 
the  definite  reception  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Spirit  by  full  consecration  and  living  faith. 
Indeed,  it  is  through  the  Holy  Spirit  that  we 
come  to  see  the  hopelessness  of  struggling 
against  sin ; it  is  through  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
we  catch  a glimpse  of  the  cross  with  its  promise 
and  potency  of  deliverance ; it  is  through  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  the  revelation  of  the  in- 
dwelling Christ  breaks  with  comforting 
cheer  upon  our  despairing  hearts ; and  it  is 
through  the  Holy  Spirit  that  we  are  enabled 
to  die  unto  sin  and  live  unto  God. 

First,  the  Reception  of  the  Gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost. 

I.  The  Experience  of  the  Apostolic  Church. 

In  the  experience  of  the  Apostolic  Church, 
as  recorded  in  the  book  of  Acts,  there  were 
three  things  that  were  closely  connected,  name- 
ly: Conversion,  Baptism,  and  the  Reception  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Thus  on  the  Day  of  Pente- 
cost Peter  declared: 

“Repent,  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you 
in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  for  the  remission 
of  your  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

“For  the  promise  is  unto  you,  and  to  your 
children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as 


The  Crisis  of 


156 

many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call.”  (Acts  ii. 
39>  40.) 

Now,  in  this  passage  of  Scripture  three 
facts  would  seem  to  be  clear : First,  conversion 
(here  described  as  the  remission  of  sins), 
baptism,  and  the  reception  of  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  are  three  separate  and  distinct 
things ; second,  these  three  things,  while  sep- 
arate and  distinct,  are  yet  closely  related 
both  as  doctrines  and  as  experiences ; and 
third,  these  three  things  are  here  stated  in 
their  normal  order  and  Scriptural  relationship. 
When  a sinner  is  converted  he  should  seek 
baptism  as  the  open  confession  of  his  faith  in 
Christ  as  Saviour  and  Lord,  and  as  the  sign 
and  seal  of  his  identification  by  faith  with 
Christ  in  His  death  and  resurrection.  Then 
he  should  definitely  receive  the  Holy  Ghost, 
Who  by  His  indwelling  and  infilling  will  be- 
come the  enabling  for  a life  well  pleasing  to 
God  and  the  equipping  for  a life  of  fruitful 
service  to  man. 

The  relation  of  the  reception  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  to  the  experience  of  conversion  in  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles  is  an  interesting  study. 
A careful  examination  of  the  book  leads  to 
two  conclusions,  namely:  First,  in  some  in- 


The  Deeper  Life 


157 


stances  the  Holy  Ghost  was  received  at  the 
time  of  conversion;  and  second,  in  other  in-* 
stances  the  Holy  Ghost  was  received  subset 
qaent  to  conversion, 

1.  In  some  instances  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
received  at  the  time  of  conversion.  This  was 
the  case  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost  and  in  the 
house  of  Cornelius. 

From  the  language  of  Peter,  already  quoted 
(Acts  ii.  39,  40),  we  learn  that  on  the  Day 
of  Pentecost  conversion,  baptism,  and  the  re- 
ception of  the  Holy  Ghost  went  together ; 
that  is,  while  these  three  things  were  separate 
and  distinct  experiences,  yet  no  interval  of 
time  elapsed  between  conversion  and  baptism 
on  the  one  hand,  or  between  conversion  and 
the  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost  on  the  other. 

“Then  they  that  gladly  received  the  word 
were  baptized:  and  the  same  day  the  Lord 
added  unto  them  about  three  thousand  souls.” 
(Actc  ii.  41.) 

The  case  of  Cornelius  and  his  household  is 
recorded  in  Acts  x.  44-48: 

“While  Peter  yet  spake  these  words,  the 
Holy  Ghost  fell  on  all  them  that  heard  the 
word. 

“And  they  of  the  circumcision  which  be- 


The  Crisis  of 


158 

lieved  were  astonished,  as  many  as  came  with 
Peter,  because  that  on  the  Gentiles  also  was 
poured  out  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

“For  they  heard  them  speak  with  tongues 
and  magnify  God.  Then  answered  Peter, 
“Can  any  man  forbid  water  that  these  should 
be  baptized,  which  have  received  the  Holy 
Ghost  as  well  as  we? 

“ And  he  commanded  them  to  be  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord.  Then  prayed  they 
him  to  tarry  certain  days.” 

Here  also,  as  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  con- 
version is  connected  with  the  reception  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  although  the  two  experiences 
were  separate  and  distinct.  On  this  occasion, 
it  will  be  observed,  the  reception  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  preceded  baptism. 

2.  In  other  instances  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
received  subsequent  to  conversion.  This  was 
true  of  the  Samaritan  disciples  and  the  Ephe- 
sian disciples. 

The  case  of  the  Samaritan  disciples  is  re- 
corded in  Acts  viii.  12-17: 

“But  when  they  believed  Philip  preaching 
the  things  concerning  the  kingdom  of  God, 
and  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  they  were 
baptized,  both  men  and  women. 

‘Then  Simon  himself  believed  also:  and 


The  Deeper  Life 


1 59 


when  he  was  baptized,  he  continued  with 
Philip  and  wondered,  beholding  the  miracles 
and  signs  which  were  done. 

“Now  when  the  apostles  which  were  at 
Jerusalem  heard  that  Samaria  had  received 
the  word  of  God,  they  sent  unto  them  Peter 
and  John;  who,  when  they  were  come  down, 
prayed  for  them,  that  they  might  receive  the 
Holy  Ghost: 

“(For  as  yet  He  was  fallen  upon  none  of 
them : only  they  were  baptized  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus.) 

“Then  they  laid  their  hands  on  them,  and 
they  received  the  Holy  Ghost.” 

Now,  observe  that  under  the  preaching  of 
Philip  the  Samaritans  “received  the  word  of 
God.”  That  is,  they  were  converted,  or  saved. 
Moreover,  they  received  Christian  baptism — 
“they  were  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord 
Jesus.”  But  at  a later  date,  or  subsequent  to 
their  conversion,  they  received  the  Holy  Ghost, 
under  the  joint  ministry  of  Peter  and  John. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Holy  Ghost 
was  given  to  the  Samaritan  disciples  through 
prayer  and  the  laying  on  of  hands  by  the 
apostles. 

The  case  of  the  Ephesian  disciples  is  re- 
corded in  Acts  xix.  1-6: 


i6o 


The  Crisis  of 


“And  it  came  to  pass,  that,  while  Apollos 
was  at  Corinth,  Paul  having  passed  through 
the  upper  coasts  came  to  Ephesus ; and  find- 
ing certain  disciples, 

“He  said  unto  them,  Have  ye  received  the 
Holy  Ghost,  since  ye  believed  ? And  they  said 
unto  him,  We  have  not  so  much  as  heard, 
whether  there  be  any  Holy  Ghost. 

“And  he  said  unto  them,  Unto  what  then 
were  ye  baptised?  And  they  said,  Unto  John’s 
baptism. 

“Then  said  Paul,  John  verily  baptised  with 
the  baptism  of  repentance,  saying  unto  the 
people,  that  they  should  believe  on  Him  which 
should  come  after  him,  that  is,  Jesus  Christ. 

“When  they  heard  this,  they  were  baptised 
in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  And  when 
Paul  laid  his  hands  upon  them,  the  Holy  Ghost 
came  on  them ; and  they  spake  with  tongues 
and  prophesied.” 

Paul’s  question  in  verse  two,  in  the  Revised 
Version,  reads:  “Did  ye  receive  the  Holy 
Ghost,  when  ye  believed  ?”  Rotherham  trans- 
lates: “And  he  said  unto  them:  Holy  Ghost 

received  ye,  when  ye  believed  ?”  Now,  which- 
ever of  these  three  renderings  be  preferred, 
four  facts  stand  out  clearly:  First , the  Ephe- 
sian disciples  were  Christians ; yet  at  the  time 


The  Deeper  .Life 


161 


Paul  met  them,  they  had  not  received  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Second , conversion,  therefore,  and  the 
reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost  are  separate  and 
distinct  experiences.  Third , the  Holy  Ghost 

may  be  received  at  the  time  of  conversion.  And 
fourth , the  Holy  Ghost  may  be  received  subse- 
quent to  conversion.  On  this  occasion,  it  will 
be  observed^  Christian  baptism  was  adminis- 
tered some  little  time  after  conversion;  and 
further,  that  the  Holy  Ghost  was  received  in 
connection  with  Christian  baptism  and  the 
laying  on  of  hands  by  Paul. 

The  case  of  the  Apostle  Paul  does  not  seem 
to  be  altogether  clear.  The  record  in  Acts 
ix.  1 7,  18,  reads: 

“And  Ananias  went  his  way,  and  entered 
into  the  house:  and  putting  his  hands  on  him 
said,  Brother  Saul,  the  Lord,  even  Jesus,  that 
appeared  unto  thee  in  the  way,  as  thou  earnest, 
hath  sent  me,  that  thou  mightest  be  filled  with 
the  Holy  Ghost.” 

And  immediately  there  fell  from  his  eyes  as 
it  had  been  scales : and  he  received  sight  forth- 
with, and  arose,  and  was  baptised.” 

Now,  it  does  not  appear  to  be  altogether 
clear  just  at  what  time  Paul  was  converted 
— whether  on  the  road  to  Damascus,  or  during 
the  three  days  of  darkness.  Consequently, 


The  Crisis  of 


162 

there  is  an  uncertainty  as  to  whether  the 
apostle  received  the  Holy  Ghost  at  the  time  of 
conversion,  or  subsequent  thereto.  In  the  lat- 
ter event,  the  interval  was  very  brief — amount- 
ing to  only  a few  a day.  On  this  occasion,  it 
will  be  observed,  the  Holy  Ghost  was  received 
before  Christian  baptism. 

Surely,  from  this  brief  study  of  the  experi- 
ence of  the  Apostolic  Church,  as  recorded  in 
the  book  of  Acts,  we  may  learn  that  God  is 
sovereign  in  His  operations,  and  that  doctrinal 
distinctions  made  by  man  cannot  shut  Him  up 
to  set  ways  of  working.  At  the  same  time  four 
things  seem  to  be  clear:  First,  conversion  and 
the  definite  reception  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  are  separate  and  distinct  experiences. 
Second,  conversion  may  occur  without  the  ex- 
perience of  receiving  the  Holy  Ghost.  Third, 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  often  received  at  the  time  of 
conversion.  And  fourth,  the  Holy  Ghost  is 
often  received  subsequent  to  conversion. 

Now,  in  the  light  of  these  facts  we  believe 
that  conversion  and  the  reception  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  should  go  hand  in  hand,  so  to  speak; 
that  is,  while  they  are  distinct  experimentally, 
they  should  not  be  separated  chronologically. 
But  in  the  lives  of  few  Christians  to-day,  com- 


The  Deeper  Life  163 

paratively  speaking,  is  this  true.  John  Wesley 
tells  of  a man  who  was  converted  one  hour, 
sanctified  the  second  hour,  and  glorified  the 
third  hour.  The  man  died  three  hours  after 
he  was  saved.  Indeed,  where  there  is  right 
Scriptural  teaching  no  interval  of  time  need 
occur  after  conversion  before  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  received.  Unfortunately,  however,  this  is 
seldom  the  case.  Generally  an  interval  of  time 
— and  often  it  is  a long  period — does  occur. 
Indeed,  some  true  hearted  children  of  God 
never  seem  to  know  from  experience  the  per- 
sonal indwelling  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  But  this 
interval,  where  it  occurs,  is  filled  in  with  the 
weary  marches  and  dreary  experiences  of  the 
wilderness  of  Sinai,  and  with  the  ceaseless 
struggles  and  discouraging  defeats  of  the 
seventh  chapter  of  Romans.  We  cannot  re- 
frain from  saying  that  we  believe  God  never 
intended  that  there  should  be  a barren  waste 
of  Christian  experience  between  regeneration 
and  sanctification,  but  that  conversion  should 
be  immediately  followed  by  a life  of  victory 
over  sin  and  self  in  union  with  the  indwelling 
Christ  and  through  receiving  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost, 

II.  The  Teaching  of  the  Apostolic  Writ- 
ings. 


164  The  Crisis  of 

We  have  studied  the  experience  of  the  Apos- 
tolic Church,  with  reference  to  the  definife 
reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  as  recorded  in  the 
book  of  Acts.  Now,  let  us  turn  to  the  teaching 
of  the  Epistles. 

Let  us  cite  a few  passages  which  refer  to 
the  possession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  or  to  the  in- 
dwelling of  the  risen  Christ.  These  two  classes 
of  passages  may  be  grouped  together,  for  it  is 
the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost  which  brings 
to  our  hearts  the  revelation  of  the  indwelling 
Christ. 

1.  “But  ye  are  not  in  the  flesh,  but  in  the 
Spirit,  if  so  be  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwell  in 
you . Now  if  any  man  have  not  the  Spirit  of 
Christ,  he  is  none  of  His.  And  if  Christ  dwell 
in  you,  the  body  is  dead  because  of  sin  ; but  the 
Spirit  is  life  because  of  righteousness.” 
(Romans  viii.  9,  10.) 

2.  “Know  ye  not  that  ye  are  the  temple  of 
God  and  that  the  Spirit  of  God  dwelleth  in 
you ? If  any  man  defile  the  temple  of  God, 
him  shall  God  destroy,  for  the  temple  of  God 
is  holy,  which  temple  ye  are.”  (I.  Corinthians 
iii.  16,  17.) 

3.  “For  by  one  Spirit  we  are  all  baptised 
into  one  body,  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles, 


The  Deeper  Life  165 

whether  ye  be  bond  or  free,  and  have  been 
all -made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit”  (I.  Corin- 
thians xii.  13.) 

4.  “Know  ye  not  your  own  selves  how  that 
Jesus  Christ  is  in  you  except  ye  be  reprobates ?” 
(II.  Corinthians  xiii.  5.) 

5.  “This  only  would  I learn  of  you,  Re- 
ceived ye  the  Spirit  by  the  works  of  the  law , 
or  by  the  hearing  of  faith?”  (Galatians  iii.  2.) 

6.  “My  little  children,  of  whom  I travail 
in  birth  again  until  Christ  be  formed  in  you,” 
(Galatians  iv.  19.) 

7.  “For  this  cause  I bow  my  knees  unto  the 
Father  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  of  Whom  the 
whole  family  in  heaven  and  earth  is  named, 

“That  He  would  grant  you,  according  to  the 
riches  of  His  glory,  to  be  strengthened  with 
might  by  His  Spirit  in  the  inner  man ; 

“ That  Christ  may  dwell  in  your  heart  by 
faith;  that  ye,  being  rooted  and  grounded  in 
love, 

“May  be  able  to  comprehend  with  all  saints 
what  is  the  breadth,  and  length,  and  depth,  and 
height ; 

“And  to  know  the  love  of  Christ,  which  pass- 
eth  knowledge,  that  ye  might  be  filled  with 
all  the  fulness  of  God.”  (Ephesians  iii.  14-19.) 

8.  “To  whom  (the  saints)  God  would  make 


1 66 


The  Crisis  of 


known  what  is  the  riches  of  the  glory  of  this 
mystery  among  the  Gentiles ; which  is  Christ 
in  you , the  hope  of  glory.”  (Colossians  i.  27.) 

A careful  examination  of  the  above  and  sim- 
ilar passages  discloses  two  striking  facts, 
namely:  First,  in  some  instances  the  baptism 

or  possession  of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  closely  iden- 
tified with  regeneration  or  conversion ; and 
second,  in  other  instances  these  experiences  are 
separated  in  point  of  time.  But  this  is  just 
the  conclusion  which  we  reached  from  our 
study  of  the  book  of  Acts.  Thus  the  expe- 
rience of  the  Apostolic  Church  and  the  teach- 
ing of  the  Apostolic  writings  agree:  and,  in- 
deed, this  must  be  so ; for  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
the  Inworker  of  the  one  as  He  was  the  In- 
spirer  of  the  other.  In  fact,  the  words  of  Peter, 
on  the  Day  of  Pentecost — Acts  ii.  39,  40 — give 
us  the  key,  which  explains  the  teaching  of  the 
New  Testament  on  this  vitally  important 
theme.  There  we  learn,  as  we  have  seen,  that 
the  remission  of  sins  or  conversion  and  the 
reception  of  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  while 
closely  related,  are  yet  separate  and  distinct 
both  doctrinally  and  experimentally.  When 
this  principle  of  interpretation  is  clearly  un- 
derstood and  firmly  grasped,  two  resulting 
facts  will  be  readily  admitted,  namely:  First, 


( 


The  Deeper  Life 


167 


the  Holy  Ghost  may  be  received  at  the  time 
of  conversion ; and  second,  the  Holy  Ghost 
may  be  received  subsequent  to  conversion. 

III.  The  Spiritual  Crisis  in  the  Life  of  our 
Lord. 

The  baptism  of  our  blessed  Lord  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  was  a spiritual  crisis  in  His  life: 
it  marked  alike  the  beginning  of  His  encoun- 
ters with  Satan  and  the  opening  of  His  public 
ministry  of  teaching  and  healing.  As  a Babe 
Jesus  was  born  of  the  Spirit  in  Bethlehem  of 
Judea: 

“The  Holy  Ghost  shall  come  upon  thee,  and 
the  power  of  the  Highest  shall  overshadow 
thee : therefore  also  that  holy  thing  which  shall 
be  born  of  thee  shall  be  called  the  Son  of  God.” 
(Luke  i.  35.) 

Moreover,  as  a Child  and  Youth  the  Spirit 
of  God  was  with  Jesus  of  Nazareth.  Luke 
gives  us  two  exquisite  pictures,  one  of  the  boy- 
hood and  the  other  of  the  early  manhood,  of 
the  Saviour : 

“And  the  child  grew,  and  waxed  strong  in 
spirit,  filled  with  wisdom:  and  the  grace  of 
God  was  upon  Him.” 

“And  Jesus  increased  in  wisdom  and  stature, 
and  in  favor  with  God  and  man.”  (Luke  ii. 
40,  52.) 


1 68 


The  Crisis  of 


Thus,  the  life  of  Jesus,  during  the  silent 
years  of  the  home  training  in  Nazareth,  was 
the  object  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  special  and 
peculiar  care.  The  growth  and  symmetrical 
development  of  His  spirit,  mind,  and  body 
were  under  the  influence  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
It  was,  furthermore,  through  the  Holy  Spirit 
that  “the  grace  of  God  was  upon  Him,"  and 
that  He  “increased  in  wisdom  and  stature,  and 
in  favor  with  God  and  man."  But  at  thirty 
years  of  age  a marked  crisis  came  in  the  life 
of  our  Lord.  It  was  then,  at  the  river  Jordan, 
that  Christ  was  not  only  baptised  in  water  by 
John  the  Baptist,  but  also  baptised  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  by  His  Heavenly  Father.  Thus 
we  read: 

“Now  when  all  the  people  were  baptised,  it 
came  to  pass  that  Jesus  also  being  baptised, 
and  praying,  the  heaven  was  opened, 

“And  the  Holy  Ghost  descended  in  a bodily 
shape  like  a dove  upon  Him,  and  a voice  came 
from  heaven,  which  said,  This  is  My  beloved 
Son;  in  Thee  I am  well  pleased."  (Luke  iii. 
21,22.) 

What,  then,  was  the  significance  of  this 
marked  crisis  in  the  life  of  Christ?  From  His 
birth  till  His  baptism  the  Holy  Spirit  was 
zmth  Christ ; but  from  His  baptism  till  His 


The  Deeper  Life  169 

passion  the  Holy  Spirit  was  within  Him.  After 
the  crisis  at  the  River  Jordan  two  Divine  Per- 
sonalities were  inseparably  united — Jesus  of 
Nazareth  and  the  Spirit  of  God.  From  that 
hour  the  life  of  Christ  was  wrought  out  in 
absolute  dependence  upon  the  Holy  Spirit. 
Thus  it  was  through  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
Christ  met  and  overcame  the  Devil  in  the 
wilderness ; it  was  through  the  Holy  Spirit 
that  Christ  uttered  His  matchless  words  and 
performed  His  wondrous  deeds  ; it  was  through 
the  Holy  Spirit  that  Christ  offered  Himself  as 
sacrifice  on  the  cross ; and  it  was  through  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  Christ  was  raised  from 
the  dead  and  declared  to  be  the  Son 
of  God  with  power.  The  great  differ- 
ence, therefore,  between  the  private  life 
and  public  ministry  of  Jesus  Christ  is  ex- 
plained by  His  baptism  at  the  Jordan  and  the 
incoming  and  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Now,  the  Apostle  John  tells  us  that  “as 
He  is,  so  are  we  in  this  world.”  (I.  John  iv. 
17.)  . In  this  experience,  therefore,  as  in  all 
other  things,  Christ  is  our  Divine  Pattern.  So, 
after  we  have  been  born  of  the  Spirit — and  it 
should  not  be  long  afterwards — we  must  be 
baptized  with  the  Spirit.  It  is  then  in  connec- 
tion with  taking  Christ  as  our  sanctification 


I/O 


The  Crisis  of 


that  we  receive  the  Person  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
as  our  indwelling  and  abiding  Comforter. 
When  once  He  comes  into  our  hearts,  He  never 
leaves  us.  We  may  indeed  grieve  Him,  but  we 
can  never  grieve  Him  away.  (Ephesians  iv. 
3 o.) 

IV.  The  Significance  of  Typical  Rites  and 
Historical  Incidents. 

From  the  Scriptures  as  a whole  let  us  gather 
up  a few  typical  rites  and  historical  incidents, 
the  spiritual  significance  of  which  strengthens 
the  conclusion  that  we  have  already  reached, 
namely:  that  the  reception  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
is  an  experience  separate  and  distinct  from 
conversion,  but  yet  not  necessarily  far  removed 
therefrom  in  point  of  time. 

i.  The  Crossing  of  the  Jordan. 

As  we  have  seen  in  Chapter  III,  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Red  Sea  by  the  Children  of  Israel 
was  a type  of  regeneration,  but  the  crossing  of 
the  Jordan  was  a type  of  sanctification.  The 
Red  Sea  represented  separation  from  the 
world;  the  Jordan  represented  separation  from 
self . Both  experiences  symbolized  death  but 
the  death  symbolized  by  the  Jordan  was  deeper 
than  the  death  symbolized  by  the  Red  Sea. 
Before  the  conquering  hosts  could  victoriously 
possess  their  inheritance  in  the  Land  of  Canaan 


The  Deeper  Life  171 

Moses  had  to  die,  which  represented  our  death 
to  the  law ; the  River  Jordan  had  to  be  crossed, 
which  represented  our  death  to  sin;  the  rite 
of  circumcision  had  to  be  performed  at  Gilgal, 
which  represented  our  death  to  the  flesh;  and 
Joshua  had  to  surrender  his  own  right  of 
leadership  and  acknowledge  the  leadership  of 
the  “Captain  of  the  Host  of  the  Lord.”  which 
represented  our  death  to  self.  Surely,  all  this 
is  deeply  significant  of  a second  work  of  grace, 
a spiritual  crisis  after  conversion,  when  by 
entire  surrender  and  living  faith  we  take  the 
Holy  Ghost  to  make  real  in  us  our  indentifica- 
tion  with  Christ  in  His  death  and  resurrection 
and  Christ’s  indentification  with  us  through 
His  personal  indwelling. 

2.  The  Pillar  of  Cloud  and  Fire. 

From  the  passage  of  the  Red  Sea  till  the 
erection  of  the  Tabernacle  the  pillar  of  cloud 
and  fire,  the  symbol  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  went 
before  the  hosts  of  Israel,  guiding  them  in  the 
way  and  protecting  them  from  peril.  But 
after  the  Tabernacle  was  built  the  pillar  of 
cloud  and  fire,  the  emblem  of  God’s  personal 
presence,  became  the  Shekinah  glory,  which 
rested  over  the  mercy-seat  and  between  the 
outstretched  wings  of  the  cherubim.  No 
longer  did  God  thunder  His  commands  to 


172 


The  Crisis  of 


Israel  from  Mount  Sinai ; but  He  “called  unto 
Moses  and  spake  unto  him  out  of  the  taber- 
nacle of  the  congregation.”  Moreover,  the 
time  when  this  momentous  change  occurred  is 
most  suggestive.  It  was  “the  first  day  of  the 
first  month”  of  the  second  year,  which  marked 
a new  epoch  in  the  history  of  Israel.  Spiri- 
tually, the  pillar  of  cloud  and  fire  in  advance  of 
the  marching  hosts  is  typical  of  the  presence 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  with  us,  as  our  Guide  and 
Defender.  But  the  hovering  of  the  Shekinah 
glory  over  the  mercy-seat  and  between  the  out- 
stretched wings  of  the  cherubim  is  typical  of 
the  Person  of  the  Holy  Ghost  within  us,  as 
the  Source  of  our  holiness  and  the  Spring  of 
our  service.  Before  we  receive  the  Holy  Ghost, 
He  has  to  speak  to  us  largely  through  the 
Divine  providences  of  our  lives ; but  after  we 
receive  Him,  He  can  speak  to  us  more  intimate- 
ly by  means  of  His  Personal  Presence  in  our 
hearts.  Furthermore,  the  first  day  of  the 
first  month,  of  the  second  year,  is  suggestive 
of  the  new  epoch  in  Christian  experience 
which  is  marked  by  the  personal  incoming  and 
indwelling  of  the  Spirit  of  God. 

3.  The  Blood  and  the  Oil. 

In  the  ceremonial  rites  for  the  cleansing  of 
the  leper  we  have  seen  how  he  was  first 


The  Deeper  Life 


173 


sprinkled  seven  times  with  the  blood  and  then 
sprinkled  seven  times  with  the  oil.  The  two 
rites  were  quite  separate  and  distinct.  The 
blood  was  a type  of  the  redemption  of  Christ 
and  the  oil  was  a type  of  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  The  oil  was  put  upon  the  blood 
of  the  trespass  offering.  This  order  could  not 
be  changed ; the  cleansed  leper  could  be  anoin- 
ted with  oil  only  after  he  had  been  sprinkled 
with  blood.  Now,  all  this  speaks  to  us  of 
salvation  and  sanctification.  We  must  first  be 
covered  by  the  blood  and  then  be  endued 
with  the  Spirit.  We  must  take  Christ  as  our 
Saviour  before  we  can  receive  the  Holy  Ghost. 

4.  The  Promise  of  Christ. 

On  one  occasion  Christ  closed  His  instruc- 
tion concerning  prayer  with  these  words: 

“If  ye,  then,  being  evil,  know  how  to  give 
good  gifts  unto  your  children,  how  much  more 
shall  your  Heavenly  Father  give  the  Holy 
Spirit  to  them  that  ask  Him”  ( Luke  xi.  13.) 

Here  our  Lord  was  addressing  His  follow- 
ers, among  them  manifestly  being  some  who 
were  saved;  yet  He  gives  them  the  promise 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  to  be  received  in  answer  to 
prayer. 

Again,  in  the  upper  room,  just  before  His 
betrayal,  the  Master  gave  His  disciples  very 


174 


The  Crisis  of 


explicit  and  definite  teaching  concerning  the 
Holy  Spirit.  One  of  His  parting  messages 
was: 

“If  ye  love  Me,  keep  My  commandments. 

“And  I will  pray  the  Father,  and  He  shall 
give  you  another  Comforter,  that  He  may 
abide  with  you  forever; 

“Even  the  Spirit  of  Truth ; Whom  the  world 
cannot  receive,  because  it  seeth  Him  not, 
neither  knoweth  Him ; but  ye  shall  know  Him ; 
for  He  dwelleth  with  you  and  shall  be  in 
you”  (John  xiv.  15-17.) 

In  verse  seventeen  an  important  distinction 
is  made  in  the  use  of  the  prepositions  “with” 
and  “in.”  With  is  the  Greek  para , and  means 
“by  the  side  of.”  In  is  the  Greek  en , and 
means  “within.”  As  we  have  seen  there  is 
a vast  difference  between  having  the  Holy 
Spirit  with  us,  and  having  Him  within  us. 
In  the  one  case  He  is  a presence  outside ; in 
the  other  case  He  is  a Person  inside.  Plainly, 
the  meaning  is  that  before  Pentecost  the  disci- 
ples had  the  Holy  Ghost  with  them ; but  after 
Pentecost  they  were  to  have  Him  within  them. 
This  view  of  the  Saviour’s  words  is  supported 
by  the  discriminating  way  in  which  the  ten- 
ses of  the  verbs  are  used.  “Dwelleth”  is  the 
present  tense  and  refers  to  the  time  of  Christ’s 


The  Deeper  Life 


175 


speaking.  “Shall  be  ” is  the  future  tense  and 
refers  to  a coming  time.  Evidently,  the  Da} 
of  Pentecost  was  in  the  mind  of  the  Master. 

Once  again,  after  His  resurrection,  Christ 
referred  very  definitely  to  the  approaching 
advent  of  the  Holy  Ghost : 

“And,  behold,  I send  the  promise  of  My 
Father  upon  you;  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of 
Jerusalem,  until  ye  be  endued  with  power 
from  on  high.”  (Luke  xxiv.  49.) 

“But  ye  shall  receive  power,  after  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  you:  and  ye  shall 
be  witnesses  unto  Me  both  in  Jerusalem,  and 
in  all  Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the 
uttermost  parts  of  the  earth.”  (Acts  i.  8.) 

Here  the  passage  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles 
explains  the  passage  in  the  Gospel  of  Luke. 
There  is  no  enduement  of  power  apart  from 
the  incoming  of  the  person ; and  we  know 
that  on  the  Day  of  Pentecost  the  Person  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  the  Gift  alike  of  the  Father  and 
of  the  Son,  was  received  by  the  company  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  disciples  waiting  in 
the  upper  room.  The  experience  of  these 
waiting  disciples,  therefore,  teaches  us  the 
necessity  of  distinguishing  between  salvation 
by  the  blood  of  the  crucified  Christ  and  sane- 


176 


The  Crisis  of 


tification  by  the  indwelling  of  the  risen  Christ. 
They  were  saved  men  and  women;  yet  until 
they  had  received  the  Holy  Ghost,  they  were 
not  enabled  for  a life  of  holy  obedience,  nor 
equipped  for  a ministry  of  abiding  fruitfulness. 
So  to-day  after  the  cleansing  blood  of  the 
cross  comes  the  enduing  power  of  the  upper 
room.  Calvary  is  not  sufficient ; we  must 
have  our  Pentecost. 

Second , the  Two-fold  Condition  of  the  Re- 
ception of  the  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost 

Contact  with  God,  whereby  the  Christian 
becomes  partaker  of  the  holiness  of  Christ, 
has  a human  as  well  as  a Divine  side.  On  the 
human  side  contact  is  formed  by  a step  of 
entire  surrender  and  an  act  of  appropriating 
faith.  But  these  are  the  conditions  of  receiv- 
ing the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  As  such, 
therefore,  we  are  now  briefly  to  consider  them. 

I.  A Step  of  Entire  Surrender. 

Another  name  for  surrender  is  consecration. 
But  as  consecration  is  really  a Divine  work, 
surrender  is  a better  term.  The  Christian 
can  yield  his  heart  and  life,  but  he  cannot 
consecrate  them  ; only  God  can  do  that.  Thus, 
the  Old  Testament  priests  did  not  consecrate 
themselves : Moses,  acting  for  Jehovah,  conse- 


The  Deeper  Life 


177 


crated  them ; the  priests  could  only  yield  them- 
selves to  be  consecrated.  (Leviticus  viii.  1- 
13;  Romans  vi.  13;  xii.  1.) 

Surrender  is  giving  up — a yielding  to  God. 
The  believer  must  lay  his  whole  life  on  the 
altar,  relinquish  all  right  to  its  control,  and 
count  himself  henceforth  and  forever  the 
Lord’s.  Surrender  is  a painful  act.  It  means 
separation ; it  means  sacrifice ; it  means  self- 
denial;  it  means  death.  Before  we  come  to 
know  Christ  as  our  Saviour  we  learn  some- 
thing of  the  meaning  of  surrender.  It  costs 
the  sinner  a good  deal  to  give  up  the  world 
with  its  pleasures  and  attractions.  It  is  hard 
for  him  to  separate  himself  from  old  associates 
and  detach  himself  from  old  associations.  But 
when  we  come  to  know  Christ  as  our  Sanctifier 
we  learn  the  deeper  meaning  of  surrender.  It 
is  one  thing  to  give  up  the  world ; it  is  quite 
another  thing  to  give  up  oneself . Yet  this  is 
what  the  Master  requires  of  His  disciples: 

“If  any  man  will  come  after  Me,  let  him 
deny  himself,  and  take  up  his  cross,  and  follow 
Me.”  (Matthew  xvi.  24.) 

Now,  self-denial,  which  is  the  essence  of 
surrender,  does  not  mean  giving  up  things; 
it  means  giving  up  self.  Self  is  securely 
seated  upon  the  throne  of  the  heart,  and  stoutly 


i7« 


The  Crisis  of 


refuses  to  abdicate  in  favor  of  Christ.  But 
union  with  Christ  means  participation  in  His 
death.  Now,  in  any  form  death  is  painful  and 
terrible,  at  least  in  contemplation ; and  it  is 
perfectly  natural  that  the  self-life  within  us 
should  shrink  from  the  ordeal  of  crucifixion 
with  Christ.  Yet  there  is  no  escape  therefrom, 
if  we  are  ever  to  know  the  liberty  and  delight 
of  a life  of  deliverance  from  the  dominion  of 
sin  and  from  the  tyranny  of  the  flesh.  There- 
fore, like  our  blessed  Lord  we  must  become 
“obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the 
cross.,,  (Philippians  ii.  8.)  The  self-life  may 
shrink  and  quiver  with  pain;  yet  we  must 
take  our  place  with  the  Lord  on  the  cross; 
and  by  a deliberate  and  determined  act  of  the 
will  hold  ourselves  there,  while  the  Holy  Spirit 
passes  the  iron  of  judgment  and  death  through 
our  souls. 

Surrender  to  God  must  be  voluntary,  com- 
plete, and  final. 

i.  It  must  be  voluntary. 

Unless  the  step  of  surrender  be  taken  vol- 
untarily, the  surrender  will  be  made  only  in 
name,  and  will  have  no  spiritual  value.  God 
calls  men,  but  does  not  coerce  them.  In  mak- 
ing choices  and  in  deciding  destiny  the  will 
is  free.  It  is  true  that  God  will  supply  motives 


The  Deeper  Life 


179 


to  right  action;  but  He  will  not  arbitrarily 
determine  the  decision  of  the  will.  According- 
ly, if  the  will  does  not  yield,  there  is  no  sur- 
render ; and  if  the  will  is  not  free  in  its  action, 
the  surrender  is  not  voluntary.  Compulsory 
surrender  is  the  result  of  force : voluntary  sur- 
render is  the  result  of  love. 

In  the  Old  Testament  the  type  of  voluntary 
surrender  is  the  offering  of  Isaac  on  Mount 
Moriah.  The  angel  of  the  Lord  spoke  thus 
to  Abraham: 

“By  Myself  have  I sworn,  saith  the  Lord, 
for  because  thou  hast  done  this  thing,  and 
hast  not  withheld  thy  son,  thine  only  son, 

That  in  blessing  I will  bless  thee  " 

(Genesis  xxii.  16,  17.) 

In  the  New  Testament  the  example  of  vol- 
untary surrender  is  the  experience  of  Paul: 

“But  what  things  were  gain  to  me,  these  I 
counted  loss  for  Christ.  Yea  doubtless,  and  I 
count  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of 
the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus  my  Lord : for 
Whom  I have  suffered  the  loss  of  all  things, 
and  do  count  them  but  dung,  +hat  I may  win 
Christ. 

“And  be  found  in  H?m,  not  having  mine  own 
righteousness,  which  is  of  the  law,  but  that 


i8o 


The  Crisis  of 


which  is  through  the  faith  of  Christ,  the  right- 
eousness which  is  of  God  by  faith : 

"That  I may  know  Him,  and  the  power  of 
His  resurrection,  and  the  fellowship  of  His 
sufferings,  being  made  conformable  unto  His 
death ; if  by  any  means  I might  attain  unto 
the  resurrection  of  the  dead.”  (Philippians 

iii.  7-11.) 

But  higher  than  the  offering  of  Isaac  and 
the  example  of  Paul  is  the  spirit  of  voluntary 
surrender  exhibited  by  our  Lord,  Who  is  our 
Divine  Pattern. 

"Sacrifice  and  offering  Thou  didst  not 
desire ; mine  ears  hast  Thou  opened ; burnt 
offering  and  sin  offering  hast  Thou  not  re- 
quired. 

"Then  said  I,  Lo,  I come:  in  the  volume 
of  the  book  it  is  written  of  me,  I delight  to  do 
Thy  will,  O My  God:  yea,  Thy  law  is  within 
my  heart.”  (Psalm  xl.  6,  7;  see  Hebrews  x. 
5-9-) 

"Let  this  mind  be  in  you,  which  was  also 
in  Christ  Jesus: 

"Who,  bein£  in  the  form  of  God,  thought 
it  not  robbery  to  be  equal  with  God : 

"But  made  Himself  of  no  reputation,  and 
took  upon  Himself  the  form  of  a servant,  and 
was  made  in  the  likeness  cf  men : 


The  Deeper  Life  181 

And  being  found  in  fashion  as  a man,  He 
humbled  Himself,  and  became  obedient  unto 
death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross.”  (Philip- 
pians  ii.  5-8.) 

Finally,  let  us  listen  to  the  pleading  tones  of 
the  Holy  Spirit,  as  He  exhorts  us  to  a step  of 
voluntary  surrender  to  God : 

“I  beseech  you,  therefore,  brethren,  by  the 
mercies  of  God  that  ye  present  your  bodies  a 
living  sacrifice,  holy,  acceptable  unto  God, 
which  is  your  reasonable  service. 

“And  be  not  conformed  to  this  world ; but 
be  ye  transformed  by  the  renewing  of  your 
mind,  that  ye  may  prove  what  is  that  good,  and 
acceptable,  and  perfect  will  of  God.”  (Romans 
xii.  1,  2.) 

2.  It  must  be  complete. 

Unless  surrender  be  complete,  it  is  not  sur- 
render at  all.  A partial  consecration  is  not 
sufficient ; God  will  not  accept  a divided  heart. 
We  must  not  keep  back  part  of  the  price.  If 
we  expect  God  to  give  Himself  wholly  to  us, 
we  must  give  ourselves  wholly  to  Him.  In 
the  hour  of  surrender  it  is  a good  thing  to 
make  a mental  inventory  of  our  lives — spirit, 
soul,  body,  strength,  time,  talents,  character, 
reputation,  possessions,  etc. — and  then  lay 


The  Crisis  of 


182 

everything  absolutely  and  unreservedly  upon 
the  altar. 

If  the  blessing  we  seek  is  in  any  measure 
withheld,  the  cause  will  usually  be  a lack  of 
whole-hearted  surrender.  We  are  holding 
back  something  that  God  is  calling  upon  us 
to  give  over.  In  our  view,  perhaps,  it  is  a 
very  little  thing,  and  does  not  matter;  yet  in 
God’s  sight  that  little  thing  is  the  key  to  the 
whole  situation.  The  story  is  told  of  an  Indian 
famine  orphan,  who  gave  the  Lord  a little  box 
which  was  very  precious  to  her  and  in  which 
she  had  kept  her  private  trinkets.  The  box 
was  shut  tight  and  locked,  However,  the 
child  could  not  rest,  and  . fter  several  hours 
of  conflict  with  her  own  heart,  she  brought 
the  key  and  gave  it  to  the  missionary.  It  had 
cost  the  little  girl  more  to  surrender  the  key 
than  it  had  to  give  up  the  box.  Beloved,  in 
giving  Christ  your  heart  have  you  kept  the 
key?  I beseech  you  to  make  a clean  breast  of 
everything ; for  God  demands  of  every  one 
“an  unconditional  surrender.”  Accept  now  the 
challenge  the  Lord  makes  in  Malachi  iii.  10: 

“Bring  ye  all  the  tithes  (literally,  the  whole 
tithe)  into  the  storehouse,  that  there  may  be 
meat  in  Mine  house  and  prove  Me  now  here- 


The  Deeper  Life 


183 


with,  saith  the  Lord  of  Hosts,  if  I will  not  open 
you  the  windows  of  heaven  and  pour  you  out 
a blessing  that  there  shall  not  be  room  enough 
to  receive  it.” 

3.  It  must  be  final . 

Unless  surrender  be  final,  it  cannot  be  called 
true  surrender.  When  rightly  understood, 
surrender  to  God  can  neither  be  repeated  nor 
recalled ; it  is  unalterable  and  irrevocable. 
There  are  Christians  who  have  a habit  of  mak- 
ing a re-consecration  of  their  lives  on  every 
favorable  occasion.  Indeed,  some  believers 
give  themselves  anew  to  God  with  each  recur- 
ring day.  The  motive  which  prompts  to  this 
act  is  of  course  entirely  right,  but  the  prac- 
tice itself  is  clearly  unscriptural.  Thus  Paul 
declared : 

“For  I know  Whom  I have  believed,  and  am 
persuaded  that  He  is  able  to  keep  that  which 
I have  committed  unto  Him  against  that  day.” 
(II.  Timothy  i.  12.) 

One  step  of  surrender,  therefore,  if  it  be 
intelligent  and  involve  the  whole  life,  should 
be  sufficient. 

Nor  can  the  step  of  surrender,  when  once 
taken,  be  recalled,  for  it  is  a definite  committal 
of  the  whole  life  to  God.  Now,  the  act  of 
committal  implies  two  parties — God  and  the 


The  Crisis  of 


184 

believer;  and  neither  party  without  the  con- 
sent of  the  other  can  alter  the  terms  of  or 
withdraw  from  the  transaction.  Beloved,  when 
you  lay  yourself  with  all  your  interests  upon 
the  altar,  God  accepts  your  sacrifice  and  seals 
it  forever.  There  are,  indeed,  only  two  con- 
ditions upon  which  your  step  of  full  surrender 
could  be  repeated  or  recalled.  The  first  is 
that  God  Himself  should  give  back  what  you 
lay  upon  the  altar ; and  the  second  is  that  you 
yourself  should  take  it  back.  The  former 
condition  is  impossible ; for  God  will  keep  “that 
which  we  have  committed  unto  Him  against 
that  day.”  Moreover,  Christ  said: 

“My  sheep  hear  My  voice,  and  I know  them, 
and  they  follow  Me : And  I give  unto  them 
eternal  life;  and  they  shall  never  perish,  nei- 
ther shall  any  man  pluck  them  out  of  My  hand. 

“My  Father,  which  gave  them  Me,  is  greater 
than  all ; and  no  man  is  able  to  pluck  them  out 
of  My  Father’s  hand.”  (John  x.  27-29.) 

But  if  the  first  condition  be  impossible , the 
second  condition  is  improbable . No  true- 

hearted child  of  God  is  at  all  likely  to  take  his 
gift  deliberately  from  the  altar.  Rather  will 
he  pray  with  the  psalmist : 

“Bind  the  sacrifice  with  cords,  even  unto 
the  horns  of  the  altar.”  (Psalm  cxviii.  27.) 


The  Deeper  Life 


185 


Although  surrender  should  be  made  once  for 
all,  yet  its  daily  recognition  becomes  a means 
of  grace.  Instead  of  giving  ourselves  anew  to 
God,  every  morning  let  us  say: 

“Lord,  I am  Thine,  entirely  Thine, 
Purchased  and  saved  by  blood  Divine; 
With  full  consent  Thine  would  I be, 

And  own  Thy  sov’reign  right  in  me.,> 

Indeed,  many  times  a day  let  us  look  up 
into  the  face  of  our  Saviour  and  whisper,  “I 
am  my  Beloved's  and  my  Beloved  is  mine.” 
Thus  will  He  be  delighted  with  our  confiding 
trust,  and  will  sweetly  respond,  “I  have  called 
thee  by  My  name,  thou  art  Mine.” 

II.  An  Act  of  Appropriating  Faith. 

The  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  is  received  not 
only  by  a step  of  entire  surrender  but  also  by 
an  act  of  appropriating  faith.  These  two  con- 
ditions must  go  together  and  in  this  order. 
Surrender  is  yielding  to  God;  faith  is  taking 
from  God.  Again,  surrender  is  negative  and 
passive,  while  faith  is  positive  and  aggressive. 
Moreover,  just  as  the  step  of  surrender  must 
be  voluntary,  complete,  and  final,  so  the  act 
of  faith  must  be  definite,  vital  and  appropriat- 
ing. 

In  the  act  of  faith  through  which  we  re- 
ceive the  Holy  Spirit  we  must  believe  that  God 


1 86 


The  Crisis  of 


takes  all  that  we  give  Him  and  that  we  take 
all  that  God  gives  us.  On  the  Lord’s  side 
there  will  be  no  failure  in  taking;  of  this  fact 
we  may  feel  assured.  He  Who  has  prompted 
the  step  of  surrender  will  not  refuse  the  gift 
that  we  bring.  When  we  lay  our  hearts  and 
lives  unreservedly  upon  the  altar,  Christ  ac- 
cepts our  offering  and  seals  it  eternally  His. 
Moreover,  the  altar  sanctifies  the  gift. 

Nor  on  our  part  will  there  be  failure  in  tak- 
ing, if  we  remember  that  Christ  gives  Himself 
far  more  freely  and  unreservedly  to  us  than 
we  give  ourselves  to  Him.  Let  us  not  wait 
for  a thrill  of  emotion  before  we  count  God 
true  to  His  word.  The  Divine  order  is  fact, 
faith,  feeling.  Whatever  God  says  we  must 
believe  just  because  He  says  it ; and  then  feel- 
ing will  follow  in  its  time  as  a matter  of  course. 
According  to  a converted  heathen  child,  “Faith 
is  believing  a thing  hard  enough  to  act  as  if  it 
was  so.”  Therefore,  when  we  have  taken  the 
step  of  surrender,  let  us  count  God  faithful  in 
meeting  us  and  in  giving  us  all  our  faith  has 
dared  to  claim. 

In  the  first  place,  let  us  believe  that  we  are 
now  identified  with  Christ  in  His  crucifixion 
and  resurrection.  Let  us  count  ourselves  on 
the  cross  and  in  the  grave  with  Christ.  Let  us 


The  Deeper  Life 


187 


count,  moreover,  that  we  are  raised  together 
with  Christ  and  with  Him  are  now  seated  “in 
heavenly  places.” 

In  the  second  place,  let  us  believe  that  by 
our  identification  with  Christ  in  His  death 
and  resurrection  we  have  died  unto  sin  and  are 
living  unto  God.  Let  us  count  that  the  power 
of  the  flesh  is  broken,  that  the  dominion  of  sin 
is  destroyed,  that  self  is  dethroned  from  the 
heart,  and  that  Christ  is  enthroned  within.  In- 
deed, it  is  now  our  privilege  to  claim  with 
Paul  : 

“I  am  crucified  with  Christ:  nevertheless  I 
live ; yet  not  I,  but  Christ  liveth  in  me.”  (Gala- 
tians ii.  20.) 

In  the  third  place,  and  highest  of  all,  let  us 
believe  that  we  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost 
and  been  baptised  with  power  from  on  high. 
Let  us  count  that  by  the  incoming  and  in- 
dwelling of  the  Holy  Spirit,  Christ  has  been 
made  unto  us  sanctification.  Beloved,  “the 
Comforter  is  come !”  Before  this  He  has  been 
zuith  you ; but  after  this  He  will  be  within  you. 
Nor  will  the  Holy  Ghost  leave  His  temple 
which  He  now  occupies  and  possesses.  He 
has  come  to  abide  forever . Glory ! Like  Christ 
after  His  baptism,  your  whole  life  from  this 
solemn  hour  will  be  wrought  out  in  continual 


The  Crisis  of 


1 88 

and  absolute  dependence  upon  the  Spirit  of 
God.  It  is  through  the  Holy  Spirit  that  the 
Father  will  manifest  Himself  to  you.  It  is 
through  the  Holy  Spirit  that  Christ  will  re- 
veal Himself  in  you.  It  is  through  the  Holy 
Spirit  that  you  will  resist  the  devil  in  meet- 
ing and  overcoming  temptation.  It  is  through 
the  Holy  Spirit  that  you  will  live  a holy  life. 
It  is  through  the  Holy  Spirit  that  you  will 
triumph  in  suffering  and  rise  victorious  over 
sorrow.  It  is  through  the  Holy  Spirit  that  you 
will  speak  messages  full  of  life  and  power  to 
the  sinful  and  needy.  And  it  is  through  the 
Holy  Spirit  that  you  will  perform  deeds  that 
will  extend  the  kingdom  of  God  upon  earth 
and  thus  hasten  the  return  of  our  Lord. 

We  have  said  that  it  is  through  the  incom- 
ing and  indwelling  of  the  Holy  Spirit  that 
Christ  is  enthroned  in  our  hearts  and  is  made 
unto  us  sanctification.  Here,  then,  are  two 
Divine  Personalities.  How  can  both  Christ 
and  the  Holy  Spirit  dwell  within  us  and  how 
can  we  be  sure  that  we  always  give  to  both 
equal  recognition  and  honor?  A little  reflec- 
tion will  relieve  these  questions  of  perplex- 
ity. The  Holy  Ghost  comes  to  us  as  the  Spirit 
of  Christ,  baptised  with  His  personal  presence. 
In  the  Old  Testament  He  is  revealed  as  the 


The  Deeper  Life  189 

Spirit  of  the  Father ; but  in  the  New  Testament 
He  is  revealed  as  the  Spirit  of  the  Son.  Again, 
it  is  the  office  work  of  the  Holy  Ghost  to  rep- 
resent Christ — to  call  attention  to  Him,  to 
speak  of  Him,  and  to  glorify  Him.  Thus, 
Jesus  said: 

"Howbeit  when  H£  the  Spirit  of  Truth  is 
come,  He  will  guide  you  into  all  truth : for  He 
shall  not  speak  of  Himself ; but  whatsoever  He 
shall  hear,  that  shall  He  speak,  and  He  shall 
show  you  things  to  come. 

"He  shall  glorify  Me:  for  He  shall  receive 
of  Mine,  and  shall  show  it  unto  you. 

"All  things  that  the  Father  hath  are  Mine: 
therefore  said  I,  that  He  shall  take  of  Mine, 
and  shall  show  it  unto  you.”  (John  xvh  13-15.) 

If  it  were  not  for  bur  atmosphere,  the  sun, 
although  a ball  of  fire,  would  shine  coldly,  like 
a twinkling  star.  But  the  atmosphere,  which 
envelopes  the  earth,  receives  the  rays  of  the 
sun  and  transmutes  them  into  color,  heat,  and 
light.  Likewise,  if  it  were  not  for  the  Holy 
Ghost,  Christ,  Who  is  seated  at  the  right  hand 
of  God,  could  only  be  honored  and  worshipped 
as  our  risen  and  ascended  Lord.  But  the  Holy 
Ghost,  Who  is  the  Breath  of  God,  receives 
Christ  and  reveals  Him  to  our  hearts  as  Life, 
Light,  and  Truth.  When  we  look  through  a 


The  Crisis  of 


190 

telescope,  we  do  not  see  the  lens  but  the  ob- 
ject which  the  lens  brings  near.  So  when  we 
look  through  the  Holy  Ghost,  so  to  speak,  we 
behold  Christ,  not  seated  yonder  in  heavenly 
glory,  but  reigning  within  on  the  throne  of  our 
hearts.  Indeed,  when  we  are  filled  with  the 
Spirit,  we  shall  be  conscious  not  so  much  of 
the  presence  of  the  Spirit  as  of  the  person  of 
the  Lord.  Let  us,  therefore,  occupy  ourselves 
with  Christ,  while  the  Spirit  of  Truth  un- 
drapes His  radiant  figure,  and  standing  in  the 
background,  so  to  speak,  bids  us  gaze  on  His 
dear  face. 

Beloved,  we  have  crossed  the  River  Jordan. 
We  have  passed  out  of  the  “waste,  howling 
wilderness”  and  are  “over  in  the  Land  of 
Canaan/’  The  seventh  chapter  of  Romans 
with  its  ceaseless  struggles  and  discouraging 
defeats  is  in  the  past  and  we  are  living  in  the 
eighth  chapter  with  its  grateful  rest  and  wel- 
come deliverance.  The  vision  of  victory  has 
been  transformed  into  a glorious  reality. 

Now,  when  a radical  and  revolutionary 
transformation  like  this  takes  place  in  our 
hearts  and  lives  we  shall  certainly  know  it. 
Moreover,  we  may  expect  the  Holy  Spirit  to 
witness  as  definitely  and  as  distinctly  to  His 
work  of  sanctification  as  He  does  to  his  work 


The  Deeper  Life  191 

of  regeneration.  But  while  this  is  true,  the 
witness  in  every  case  will  not  be  the  same 
either  in  kind  or  in  degree.  There  are  of  course 
temperamental  differences  in  people ; and  there 
are  varying  types  of  Christian  experience,  cor- 
responding to  these  differences,  which  a knowl- 
edge of  psychology  helps  us  to  understand  and 
explain.  For  example,  there  are  demonstra- 
tive persons ; and  when  such  persons  ex- 
perience sanctification,  the  witness  of  the 
Spirit  is  quite  likely  to  take  the  form  of  ex- 
alted feeling  or  even  ecstatic  emotion.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  are  dispassionate  persons ; 
and  in  their  case  there  is  apt  to  be  little,  if$any, 
feeling;  but  they  will  have  a deep,  quiet  sense 
of  spiritual  satisfaction.  But  however  this 
may  be,  the  point  to  be  emphasized  is  that  in 
every  instance  of  sanctification  the  witness  of 
the  Spirit,  both  in  kind  and  degree,  should  be 
satisfactory  to  the  believer  himself  who  is  sanc- 
tified. Moreover,  a truly  sanctified  life  will 
“bring  forth  fruit  unto  God and  this  fruit — 
“the  fruit  of  the  Spirit” — will  be  manifest  to 
all. 

It  is  not  necessary  for  a Christian  worker  to 
notify  a sinner  when  he  is  saved.  The  new 
light  on  the  countenance,  the  new  song  on  the 
lips,  the  new  spirit  of  prayer,  the  new  love  for 


192 


The  Deeper  Life 


God — these  and  many  other  similar  evidences 
of  conversion  will  be  seen  and  known  of  all 
men.  Furthermore,  God  has  promised  to  give 
to  each  regenerated  heart  the  witness  of  its 
acceptance.  In  like  manner,  it  will  not  be 
necessary  for  a Christian  worker  or  a fellow 
believer  to  notify  a child  of  God  when  he  has 
received  the  Holy  Ghost  and  taken  Christ  as 
his  sanctification;  indeed,  spiritual  injury  has 
been  done  to  many  a soul  by  this  practice. 
Beloved,  if  the  Holy  Ghost  has  really  come  to 
your  heart  to  abide  forever,  He  will  surely  let 
you  know  it.  Nor  will  He  keep  you  long  wait- 
ing. Do  not  be  satisfied  with  anyone’s  assur- 
ances upon  this  point.  Resolve  to  hear  direct 
from  heaven  for  yourself.  Of  course  you  must 
take  the  Holy  Spirit  by  faith;  but  it  is  your 
privilege  soon  to  have  your  claim  of  faith 
sealed  by  the  certainty  of  personal  knowledge. 
A failure  at  this  point  now  will  only  mean 
perplexity  of  mind  and  disappointment  of 
heart  later  on.  Therefore,  take  your  Bible, 
and  go  alone  with  God,  and  continue  to  wait 
upon  Him  until  you  get  an  answer  and  are 
sure  that  you  can  say  "Yes”  to  the  vitally  im- 
portant question  which  Paul  asked  the  dis- 
ciples of  Ephesus: 

"Have  Ye  Received  The  Holy  Ghost  Since 
Ye  Believed?” 


Chapter  IX. 


THE  LAW  OF  RECKONING 


HERE  are  two  working  principles, 
so  to  speak,  of  Christian  holiness, 
namely : the  Law  of  Reckoning 
and  the  Life  of  Abiding.  The 
meaning  and  value  of  these  must 
now  be  unfolded. 

The  principle  of  reaction  meets 
us  in  the  operations  of  grace  as 
well  as  in  the  forces  of  nature.  Mountain  tops 
of  spiritual  blessing  are  generally  followed  by 
valleys  of  spiritual  depression.  The  making 
of  the  covenant  with  God,  whereby  we  receive 
the  Holy  Ghost  through  surrender  and  faith, 
is  usually  accompanied  by  a state  of  exalted 
religious  emotion.  In  the  course  of  a few 
hours,  however,  the  spiritual  atmosphere  will 
be  entirely  changed.  The  flood  tide  of  relig- 
ious elevation  has  naturally  been  succeeded 
by  the  ebb  tide  of  religious  depression.  The 
heavenly  outlook  which  only  yesterday  was 
bathed  in  the  radiance  of  Divine  .glory  to-day 
wears  an  aspect  of  sombre  hue.  The  warmth, 


194 


The  Crisis  of 


light,  and  life  of  the  new  found  joy  have  gone 
from  the  heart,  leaving  it  cold,  and  dark,  and 
dead. 

Dear  friend,  have  you  had  this  experience? 
Is  this  your  experience  now?  Are  you  sur- 
rounded by  an  atmosphere  of  unreality  and  in- 
sincerity ? In  the  absence  of  all  spiritual 
feeling  are  you  tempted  to  believe  that  you  are 
playing  the  part  of  a hypocrite  in  claiming 
that  you  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost?  Still 
more  than  this:  Does  the  old  life  that  you 

have  nailed  to  the  cross  seem  to  come  back 
with  all  its  power  of  evil  suggestion  and  lust- 
ful desire?  In  fact,  do  you  “feel  just  the  same 
as  ever,”  and  as  if  the  glorious  experience 
of  yesterday  were  nothing  but  a fading  dream  ? 

Beloved,  such  an  experience  is  only  a temp- 
tation, the  work  of  Satan,  to  discourage  your 
heart  and  destroy  your  faith.  The  devil  takes 
advantage  of  the  natural  reaction  of  the  soul 
from  a season  of  perhaps  intense  spiritual  ex- 
altation to  create  an  atmosphere  of  unreality 
and  to  try  to  make  you  feel  insincere  and  even 
hypocritical  in  your  honest  claim  of  faith 
that  you  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost.  More- 
over, the  devil  has  the  power  to  bring  back, 
in  thought  and  feeling,  the  shadow  of  your 
former  self ; and  he  will  endeavor  to  make  you 


195 


The  Deeper  Life 

believe  that  the  vision  of  victory  has  not 
been  transformed  into  a glorious  reality. 

What,  then,  is  to  be  done?  Why,  such  an 
experience  as  this  is  just  the  spiritual  con- 
dition to  which  the  law  of  reckoning  applies. 
Let  us,  therefore,  try  to  get  a clear  idea  of  the 
nature  and  operation  of  this  law.  Indeed, 
its  importance  cannot  easily  be  overestimated ; 
for  when  rightly  understood  it  must  be  rec- 
ognized as  one  of  the  fundamental  principles 
of  the  new  life  of  holiness  in  Christ.  In 
Romans  vi.  n,  Paul  says: 

“Likewise  reckon  ye  also  yourselves  to  be 
dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.” 

Now,  there  is  a Greek  word,  occurring  about 
forty  times  in  the  New  Testament,  which  is 
variously  translated  in  the  Authorized  Version 
“reckon,”  “count,”  and  “impute.”  Literally, 
it  signifies  to  put  things  together;  and  then, 
to  calculate  or  compute.  In  its  ordinary  use, 
reckoning  is  a mathematical  term,  and  denotes 
a cold,  calculating  operation  of  the  reasoning 
faculty.  The  process  is  devoid  of  poetic  senti- 
ment and  even  of  sensation.  Thus,  when  a 
merchant  makes  out  his  accounts  or  balances 
his  books  the  operation  is  one  of  pure  computa- 


196 


The  Crisis  of 


tion,  and  the  result  is  reckoned  according  to 
the  fixed  laws  of  numbers. 

Spiritually,  reckoning  is  simply  counting 
that  to  be  true  which  the  Bible  declares  to  be 
true.  It  is  our  Amen  to  what  God  says.  Thus 
the  New  Testament  states  that  by  our  union 
with  Christ  in  His  death  and  resurrection  we 
are  “dead  indeed  unto  sin,  but  alive  unto  God.” 
Apart  from  all  feeling,  therefore,  we  count 
this  to  be  true ; and  as  we  boldly  maintain  this 
attitude,  God  transforms  “faith  reckonings 
into  glorious  realities.” 

Thus,  reckoning  is  the  key  to  a victorious 
Christian  life.  Indeed,  it  is  the  pole  star, 
so  to  speak,  of  the  believer’s  walk  with  God. 
In  this  state  of  depression  for  example,  when 
the  spiritual  atmosphere  is  charged  with  a 
sense  of  insincerity  and  unreality,  we  must 
maintain  our  attitude  of  victory  by  the  law 
of  reckoning.  We  must  count  that  God  makes 
real  in  us  by  the  Spirit  all  that  Christ  has 
made  real  for  us  on  the  cross.  We  must  stead- 
fastly reckon  that  we  are  dead  unto  sin  and 
alive  unto  God.  We  must  steadfastly  reckon 
that  we  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost.  We 
must  steadfastly  reckon  that  Christ  has  been 
made  unto  us  sanctification.  There  are,  indeed, 
some  people  who  seem  to  make  light  of  reckon- 


The  Deeper  Life 


197 


in g,  calling  it  all  a "make  believe.’’  But 
surely,  they  cannot  have  fully  grasped  the  inner 
spirit  of  this  Divine  principle.  A thing  does 
not  become  true,  simply  because  we  reckon  it 
to  be  true.  It  is  just  the  other  way.  The 
thing  is  true,  whether  we  reckon  it  to  be  true 
or  not : but  our  act  of  reckoning  does 
make  it  experimentally  real.  And  moreover, 
while  there  is  no  sentiment  or  emotion  in  the 
law  of  reckoning,  there  is  a good  deal  of  both 
sentiment  and  emotion  in  the  practical  vic- 
tory which  the  operation  of  the  law  brings. 

Now,  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that 
we  clearly  understand  just  what  it  is  that  we 
are  to  reckon.  We  are  to  reckon  that  we 
ourselves  are  “dead  indeed  unto  sin , but  alive 
unto  God  through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord .” 
(Romans  vi.  11.)  This  expression  requires 
the  most  careful  consideration. 

In  the  first  place,  we  are  to  reckon  ourselves 
dead  unto  sin.  Sin  is  not  dead,  but  we  are 
dead  to  sin.  Between  these  two  things  there 
is  a vast  difference.  What,  then,  does  it  mean 
to  be  dead  to  sin?  According  to  scientists, 
life  is  "the  correspondence  of  an  inner  organ- 
ism with  its  outer  environment.”  When  this 
"correspondence”  ceases  the  result  is  death. 
Following  out  this  explanation,  we  may  say 


198 


The  Crisis  of 


that  a person  is  “dead”  to  a thing,  when  he  is 
out  of  “correspondence”  with  that  thing. 
Thus,  a blind  man  is  dead  to  light  and  color. 
Light  and  color  exist,  but  not  for  him ; he  has 
no  eyes  with  which  to  behold  the  faces  of 
loved  ones,  or  to  enjoy  the  beauties  of  nature. 
Again,  the  deaf  man  is  dead  to  sound.  Sound 
exists,  but  not  for  him ; he  has  no  ears  with 
which  to  hear  the  voices  of  friends  or  be 
charmed  by  the  harmonies  of  music.  Now, 
in  like  manner  are  we  dead  to  sin.  By  nature 
we  are  in  correspondence  with  sin ; but  by 
union  with  Christ  in  His  death  and  resurrection 
and  by  the  incoming  and  indwelling  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  we  are  out  of  correspondence  with 
it.  Sin  exists,  but  not  for  us ; while  we  abide 
in  Christ  and  walk  in  the  Spirit  we  are  dead 
alike  to  its  presence  and  power.  Another 
illustration  is  pre-occupation  of  mind.  Some 
people  have  such  intense  power  of  mental 
concentration  as  for  the  time  being  to  become 
entirely  pre-occupied  with  the  thing  in  hand. 
They  will  pass  a friend  on  the  street  without 
salutation  or  even  recognition.  When  spoken 
to,  they  will  not  answer.  Indeed,  something 
extraordinary  must  occur  in  order  to  divert 
their  mind  or  arrest  their  attention.  For  the 
time  being  they  are  “dead”  to  their  surround- 


The  Deeper  Life 


199 


ings.  So  by  our  pre-occupation  with  Christ 
and  with  the  things  of  the  Spirit  we  become 
dead  to  sin.  The  world,  the  flesh,  and  the 
devil  with  their  seductive  temptations  are  all 
around  us;  but  while  we  abide  in  Christ  and 
walk  in  the  Spirit  we  are  insulated,  so  to 
speak,  from  their  destructive  power. 

In  the  second  place,  we  are  to  reckon  our- 
selves alive  unto  God . “Dead  unto  sin”  is 
the  negative  side  of  our  reckoning ; “alive  unto 
God”  is  the  positive  side.  Now,  the  sinner 
is  out  of  correspondance  with  God ; he  is 
“dead  in  trespasses  and  sins.”  The  Christian, 
however,  is  in  correspondence  with  God;  he 
walks  “in  newness  of  life.”  The  believer  is 
“alive  unto  God.”  Indeed,  the  deeper  work 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  sanctification  quickens 
every  spiritual  sense.  By  the  heavenly  anoint- 
ing our  eyes  are  opened  to  see  Divine  truth ; 
our  ears  are  unstopped  to  hear  “the  still,  small 
voice;”  our  taste  is  renewed  to  feed  upon  the 
“living  bread ;”  our  touch  is  refined  to  detect 
the  presence  of  Christ;  and  we  become  of 
“quick  smell  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.”  (Isaiah 
xi.  3 ; margin.)  Moreover,  by  the  incoming  of 
the  Spirit  and  the  indwelling  of  Christ  our 
whole  being  is  made  “alive  unto  God ;”  there 
is  a quickening  of  every  faculty  and  power 


200 


The  Crisis  of 


of  the  mind  and  of  every  member  and  organ 
of  the  body. 

But,  in  the  third  place,  we  are  to  reckon 
ourselves  dead  unto  sin,  and  alive  unto  God 
through  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord.  In  ourselves 
we  are  not  dead  unto  sin  nor  alive  unto  God. 
It  is  Christ  Himself  Who  puts  us  out  of  cor- 
respondence with  sin  and  puts  us  in  cor- 
respondence with  God.  If  our  reckoning  is 
to  be  made  real,  we  must,  therefore,  abide 
in  Christ  and  walk  in  the  Spirit.  As  our 
union  with  the  Lord  was  established  by  an  act 
of  appropriating  faith  so  it  must  be  maintained 
by  an  attitude  of  steadfast  reckoning. 

Let  us  clearly  understand,  then,  that  the 
devil  has  power  to  bring  back  the  shadow  of 
the  old  life,  but  that  we  must  meet  his  attack 
by  the  reckoning  of  faith.  We  must  learn 
that  Satan  can  insinuate  evil  suggestions  into 
our  minds  and  project  sinful  desires  into  our 
hearts.  It  is  his  device  to  manufacture  and 
overshadow  us  with  a personality  closely  re- 
sembling our  former  self  and  then  try  to  palm 
off  as  ours  this  work  of  his  own  invention. 
Indeed,  it  is  at  this  point  that  many  Christians 
who  have  entered  the  deeper  life  fail  because 
of  ignorance  and  lack  of  reckoning.  When 
the  “old  man”  that  has  been  nailed  to  the 


The  Deeper  Life 


201 


cross  comes  back  in  wicked  thoughts  and  car- 
nal desires,  they  do  not  recognize  the  trick  of 
the  enemy,  which  they  should  repudiate  and 
ignore.  Partly  in  fear  because  of  the  experi- 
ence, and  partly  in  discouragement  because 
of  the  temptation,  they  are  led  to  identify 
themselves  with  their  dead  and  buried  past, 
and  thus  they  fall  an  easy  prey  to  its  en- 
snaring influence  and  destructive  power.  A 
corpse  must  be  kept  under  ground,  else  it  will 
cause  death  to  the  living.  So  the  “old  man” 
must  be  kept  by  faith  in  the  grave  of  Christ, 
else  he  will  pollute  our  hearts  and  minds  and 
destroy  our  faith. 

Thus,  the  law  of  reckoning  is  the  secret  of 
victory.  A bold  claim  of  faith  will  save  us 
from  being  engulfed  by  the  waves  of  reaction 
and  keep  us  from  discouragement  and  despair 
in  the  hour  of  depresion.  Remember,  beloved, 
that  the  thing  that  seems  real  is  the  unreal ; and 
the  thing  that  seems  unreal  is  real.  The  insin- 
cerity and  unreality,  which  envelope  you  like 
the  atmosphere,  are  only  apparent.  It  is  the 
work  of  Satan.  The  vision  of  victory  is  a glori- 
ous reality.  The  Comforter  has  come.  Christ 
now  reigns  within  on  the  throne  of  your  heart. 
Hallelujah!  Between  you  and  the  “old  man” 
stands  forever  the  cross  of  Christ.  The  self- 


202 


The  Deeper  Life 


life  that  would  again  fasten  itself  upon  you 
is  no  longer  yours.  Never  can  the  past  come 
back;  for  it  is  buried  forever  in  the  grave  of 
Christ.  Therefore,  no  matter  what  the  devil 
says,  refuse  to  believe  it.  Discount  your  feel- 
ings, whatever  they  may  be.  In  spite  of  every- 
thing reckon  that  God  meets  your  trust  and 
that  the  victory  is  yours.  Ignore,  then,  the 
shadow  of  the  past  which  Satan  brings  back. 
Do  not  fear  it;  for  fear  will  paralyze  your 
faith  and  make  you  an  easy  prey  to  sin.  Repu- 
diate the  shadow,  as  something  from  which 
you  have  been  separated  and  are  henceforth 
forever  detached.  If  you  will  treat  the  shadow 
thus,  it  will  vanish  like  the  mist  before  the 
morning  sun ; it  will  disappear  like  a spectre 
of  the  night. 

“Let  us  reckon,  reckon,  reckon, 

Let  us  reckon,  rather  feel; 

Let  us  be  true  to  the  reck’ning, 

And  He  will  make  it  real.” 


Chapter  X. 


THE  LIFE  OF  ABIDING 

N our  part  contact  with  God  is 
maintained  not  only  by  the  law  of 
reckoning  but  also  by  the  life  of 
abiding.  Holiness  flows  from 
union  with  Christ,  and  apart  from 
abiding  in  Him  we  have  no  purity 
or  fruitfulness.  Thus  Jesus  said: 
“Abide  in  Me,  and  I in  you. 
As  the  branch  cannot  bear  fruit  of  itself, 
except  it  abide  in  the  vine:  no  more  can  ye, 
except  ye  abide  in  Me.  I am  the  vine,  ye  are 
the  branches:  he  that  abideth  in  Me,  and  I 
in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much  fruit: 
for  without  Me  (that  is,  apart  from  Me) 
ye  can  do  nothing”  (John  xv.  4,  5.) 

Abide  is  a familiar  but  interesting  word. 
The  Greek  verb  is  meno  or  menein , from 
which  comes  the  English  word  remain , and 
which  is  rendered  in  the  Authorized  Version 
by . a number  of  expressions,  for  example : 
abide,  dwell,  remain,  continue,  tarry,  endure, 
be  present,  etc.  With  reference  to  our  union 
with  Christ  a good  translation  would  be  live. 


204 


The  Crisis  of 


Thus  in  John  xv.  9,  “Continue  ye  in  My  love," 
the  force  of  Christ's  command  would  be  better 
brought  out  by  reading,  “ Live  ye  in  My  love.” 

To  abide  in  Christ  means  two  things,  name- 
ly: Obedience  and  Fellowship.  By  keeping 
the  commandments  of  God  and  by  communing 
with  Him  through  the  Spirit  we  abide  in 
Christ. 

I.  Obedience. 

In  I.  John  iii.  24,  abiding  in  Christ  is  des- 
cribed as  a life  of  obedience : 

“And  he  that  keepeth  His  commandments 
dwelleth  (that  is,  abideth)  in  Him  and  He  in 
him.” 

One  of  the  ringing  messages  of  the  Old 
Testament  is  the  absolute  necessity  of  perfect 
obedience.  Thus,  the  high  estimate  which  God 
placed  upon  the  observance  of  His  law  is  seen 
in  the  solemn  words  of  Samuel  the  prophet 
to  Saul  the  rejected  king: 

“Hath  the  Lord  as  great  delight  in  burnt 
offerings  and  sacrifices,  as  in  obeying  the  voice 
of  the  Lord?  Behold,  to  obey  is  better  than 
sacrifice  and  to  hearken  than  the  fat  of  rams. 

“For  rebellion  is  as  the  sin  of  witchcraft,  and 
stubbornness  is  as  iniquity  and  idolatry.”  (I. 
Samuel  xv.  22,  23.) 

But  Israel  did  not  keep  the  law  nor  obey  the 


The  Deeper  Life 


205 


voice  of  the  Lord.  Yet  the  cause  was  not 
in  the  law,  which  was  “holy,  just,  and  good/’ 
but  in  the  people  who  were  weak,  wayward, 
and  wicked.  In  the  midst  of  the  national  fail- 
ure. however,  the  prophets  foretold  a time, 
when  the  law  of  God  would  be  obeyed  and 
when  His  voice  would  be  obeyed: 

“But  this  shall  be  the  covenant  that  I will 
make  with  the  house  of  Israel;  After  those 
days,  saith  the  Lord,  I will  put  My  law  in 
their  inward  parts,  and  write  it  in  their  hearts ; 
and  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  My 
people.”  (Jeremiah  xxxi.  33.) 

“And  I will  give  them  one  heart,  and  I 
will  put  My  Spirit  within  you;  and  I will 
take  the  stony  heart  out  of  their  flesh,  and 
will  give  them  an  heart  of  flesh: 

“That  they  may  walk  in  My  statutes,  and 
keep  Mine  ordinances,  and  do  them:  and  they 
shall  be  My  people,  and  I will  be  their  God.” 
(Ezekiel  xi.  19,  20.) 

“Then  will  I sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you, 
and  ye  shall  be  clean : from  all  your  filthiness, 
and  from  all  your  idols,  will  I cleanse  you. 
A new  heart  also  will  I give  you,  and  a new 
spirit  will  I put  within  you:  and  I will  take 

away  the  stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and 
give  you  an  heart  of  flesh. 


206 


The  Crisis  of 


“And  I will  put  My  Spirit  within  you,  and 
cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes,  and  ye  shall 
keep  My  judgments,  and  do  them.”  (Ezekiel 
xxxvi.  25-27.) 

Literally,  these  glorious  promises  must  be 
referred  to  Israel,  but  spiritually  they  may 
be  applied  to  the  Chruch.  For  the  Church  they 
were  fulfilled  at  Pentecost,  and  are  for  believ- 
ers to  claim  in  the  present  age. 

Even  more  strongly,  if  possible,  than  the 
Old  Testament  does  the  New  Testament  em- 
phasize the  absolute  necessity  of  perfect 
obedience.  Thus,  in  His  parting  address  to 
His  disciples  Jesus  said: 

“If  ye  love  Me  keep  My  commandments.,, 

“He  that  hath  My  commandments,  and  keep- 
eth  them,  he  it  is  that  loveth  Me : and  he  that 
loveth  Me  shall  be  loved  of  My  Father,  and  I 
will  love  him,  and  manifest  Myself  to  him.” 

“If  a man  love  Me,  he  will  keep  My  words : 
and  My  Father  will  love  him,  and  we  will  come 
unto  him,  and  make  our  abode  with  him.” 
(John  xiv.  15,  21,  25.) 

“If  ye  abide  in  Me,  and  My  words  abide  in 
you,  ye  shall  ask  what  ye  will,  and  it  shall 
be  done  unto  you.” 

“If  ye  keep  My  commandments,  ye  sHall 
abide  in  My  love;  even  as  I have  kept  My 


The  Deeper  Life 


207 


Father’s  commandments,  and  abide  in  His 
love.”  (John  xv.  7,  10.) 

Now,  although  Israel  could  not  obey  the 
law  of  God,  yet  Christians  can  keep  the  com- 
mandments of  Christ.  Indeed,  Jesus  made 
obedience  an  essential  mark  of  true  disciple- 
ship.  “Ye  are  My  friends  (that  is,  disciples,), 
if  ye  do  whatsoever  I command  you”  (John 
xv.  14.)  In  Ezekiel  xxxvi.  27,  we  read: 

“And  I will  put  My  Spirit  within  you,  and 
cause  you  to  walk  in  My  statutes , and  ye  shall 
keep  My  judgments  and  do  them. 

Here  the  prophet  declares  that  the  incoming 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  will  have  a causative  power 
unto  obedience.  As  a result  of  the  Spirit’s 
indwelling,  the  promise  is,  not  that  we  may 
but  that  we  shall  obey  the  voice  of  the  Lord 
and  walk  in  His  holy  ways.  Again,  in  Romans 
viii.  3,  4,  we  read : 

“For  what  the  law  could  not  do,  in  that  it 
was  weak  through  the  flesh,  God  sending  His 
own  Son  in  the  likeness  of  sinful  flesh,  and 
for  sin,  condemned  in  the  flesh; 

“That  the  righteousness  of  the  law  might 
be  fulfilled  in  us , who  walk  not  after  the  flesh , 
but  after  the  Spirit.” 

Here  the  apostle  declares  that  the  purpose 
of  the  incarnation  of  Christ  and  the  incoming 


208 


The  Crisis  of 


of  the  Spirit  is  "that  the  righteousness  of  the 
law  might  be  fulfilled  in  us,  who  walk  not 
after  the  flesh,  but  after  the  Spirit.”  In  other 
words,  the  sanctifying  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
in  our  lives  will  be  to  produce  that  renewal  of 
character  and  righteousness  of  conduct  which 
the  law  failed  to  produce. 

Christians  to-day,  therefore,  do  not  have 
to  try  to  keep  the  commandments  of  Christ 
in  the  same  way  that  Israel  of  old  tried  to  keep 
the  commandments  of  God,  and  utterly  failed. 
For,  in  their  efforts  to  observe  the  law  of 
Moses  and  obey  the  voice  of  the  Lord  the 
chosen  people  struggled  hopelessly  against  an 
evil  heart  and  a perverse  will.  To  believers, 
however,  has  been  given  a changed  heart 
and  in  their  inmost  parts  has  been  written  the 
Divine  law.  Thus,  obedience  is  the  product 
of  holiness — the  fruit  of  the  incoming  of  the 
Spirit  and  the  indwelling  of  Christ. 

In  a popular  manual  on  the  deeper  life  the 
writer  tells  of  a wilful  and  wayward  boy, 
whose  mother  had,  without  avail,  tried  every 
means  within  her  power  to  make  teachable  and 
obedient.  One  day  in  despair,  she  said  to  a 
sympathetic  friend : "I  wish  I could  get  inside 
my  boy,  and  think  through  his  mind,  and  love 
through  his  heart,  and  act  through  his  will. 


The  Deeper  Life 


209 


If  I could  only  do  this,  I would  soon  make  him 
teachable  and  obedient,  for  I would  cause  him 
to  think  pure  thoughts,  and  love  good  things, 
and  always  do  what  is  right.” 

Beloved,  the  futile  wish  of  the  fond  mother 
for  her  boy,  is  gloriously  realized  by  God  in 
the  lives  of  His  children.  Though  we  often 
desire  to  do  right,  yet  in  ourselves  we  are  weak 
and  wayward,  with  a rebellious  will  and  a 
disobedient  heart.  In  our  own  strength  we 
cannot  keep  the  commandments  of  Christ,  nor 
fulfil  the  perfect  will  of  God.  But  Christ  Him- 
self by  the  Holy  Spirit  will  come  and  live  with- 
in us.  To  us  He  will  give  the  hearkening  ear 
to  hear  “the  still,  small  voice,”  and  the  yielded 
heart  to  “walk  in  the  Spirit.”  Then  shall  we 
be  enabled  to  keep  His  commandments  and 
please  the  Father  in  all  things.  Thus,  through 
our  minds  will  throb  the  lofty  thoughts  of 
God,  through  our  hearts  will  pulsate  His  holy 
desires,  and  through  our  wills  will  be  wrought 
out  His  sublime  purposes.  May  we  not  pray: 

“Live  out  Thy  life  in  me, 

Live  out  Thy  life  in  me; 

By  Thy  wonderful  power, 

By  Thy  grace  every  hour, 

Live  out  Thy  life  in  me.” 

II.  Fellowship. 

In  John  vi.  56,  57,  abiding  in  Christ  is  des- 


210 


The  Crisis  of 


cribed  as  a life  of  communion  or  fellowship: 
"He  that  eateth  My  flesh  and  drinketh  My 
blood  dwelleth  (that  is,  abideth)  in  Me  and  I 
in  him. 

"As  the  living  Father  hath  sent  me,  and  I 
live  by  the  Father : even  so  he  that  eateth  Me. 
even  he  shall  live  by  Me.” 

Fellowship  is  an  attractive  and  suggestive 
term.  The  Greek  noun,  koinonia,  literally 
signifies  partnership  or  participation.  The 
word  is  used  to  express  the  intimacy  com- 
munion, and  oneness,  which  exist  between 
Christ  and  the  believer. 

"He  that  is  joined  to  the  Lord  is  one  spirit/’ 
(I.  Corinthians  vi.  17.) 

“ and  truly  our  fellowship  is  with  the 

Father  and  with  His  Son  Jesus  Christ/’ 

"If  we  walk  in  the  light,  as  He  is  in  the  light, 
we  have  fellowship  one  with  Another,  and 
the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  cleanseth 
us  from  all  sin.”  (I.  John  i.  3,  7.) 

Our  Lord’s  chosen  symbol  of  the  union  and 
communion  of  the  believer  with  Himself  was 
the  vine  and  the  branches.  Now,  the  relation- 
ship between  obedience  and  fellowship  may  be 
illustrated  by  the  connection  between  the 
grapes  and  the  sap.  Grapes  are  the  fruit  of 
sap,  while  sap  is  the  source  of  grapes.  Each 


The  Deeper  Life 


211 


is  related  to  :he  other,  while  both  in  turn  are 
dependent  upon  the  vine.  So  obedience  is  the 
fruit  of  fellowship,  while  fellowship  is  the 
spring  of  obedience.  Each  is  related  to  the 
other,  while  loth  in  turn  are  dependent  upon 
Christ.  In  fact,  without  true  fellowship  there 
can  be  no  practical  obedience;  and  without 
practical  obedieice  there  can  be  no  true  fellow- 
ship. 

Glorious,  however,  as  is  the  reception  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  it  is  not  the  climax  of  spiritual 
life ; it  is  only  a unique  crisis,  which  marks  a 
new  beginning  in  Giristan  experience.  After 
the  baptism  comes  the  fulness  of  the  Spirit. 
After  the  bond  of  union  with  Christ  has  been 
established  the  life  of  communion  with  Him 
must  be  maintained.  Indeed,  in  the  blessed  ex- 
perience of  sanctification  we  shall  never  be  able 
to  comprehend,  much  less  tG  compass,  all  the 
heights  and  depths,  the  lengths  and  breadths, 
of  the  matchless  love  and  infinite  power  of 
God.  In  I.  Corinthians  xii.  13,  we  read : 

“For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into 
one  body  whether  we  be  Jews  01  Gentiles, 
whether  we  be  bond  or  free ; and  uave  all 
been  made  to  drink  into  One  Spirit” 

Again,  in  Ephesians  v.  18,  Paul  exhorts  be- 
lievers : 


212 


The  Crisis  of 


“Be  filled  with  the  Spirit.”  (Literally,  in  the 
Spirit.) 

Now,  the  fulness  of  the  Sprit  marks  an 
advance  upon  the  baptism  of  the  Spirit.  The 
Divine  gift  of  the  Spirit,  like  :he  new  birth 
by  the  Spirit,  is.  as  have  seen,  a distinct  act 
and  a definite  transaction.  Xiere  is  a time 
when  we  take  Christ  to  be  our  Saviour;  and 
there  is  a moment  when  we  take  Him  to  be 
our  Sanctifier  through  the  incoming  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  The  fulness  of  the  Spirit,  how- 
ever, is  quite  different  from  these  experiences. 
Unlike  them  it  is  not  an  act,  but  a process ; 
it  is  not  a transaction,  but  a habit.  Having  re- 
ceived Christ  (act),  we  grow  up  into  Him  in 
all  things  (process)7.  Having  received  the 
Holy  Ghost  (transition),  we  drink,  and  keep 
drinking,  of  His  fulness  (habit).  Thus,  the 
infilling  of  the  Spirit  is  the  life  of  fellowship 
with  Christ. 

But  this  is  just  the  point  where  many  earnest 
children  of  God  who  are  seeking  the  fulness 
of  Divine  basing  fail  of  the  complete  satisfac- 
tion of  e>ery  need  of  spirit,  mind,  and  body. 
They  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost ; this  they 
dare  not  doubt.  Moreover,  they  have  had 
whit  to  others  as  well  as  to  themselves  is  clear 
^ud  convincing  evidence  that  “the  Comforter 
has  come.”  Yet  their  lives  are  without  rest 


The  Deeper  Life 


213 


and  joy,  without  power  and  fruit;  indeed, 
their  hearts  are  “one  vast  continent  of  unex- 
plored longings  and  unsatisfied  desires.” 

Beloved,  is  this  your  experience  ? Have  you 
been  wondering  what  the  trouble  is?  Let  me 
tell  you.  You  have  taken  Christ  to  be  your 
Sanctifier,  but  you  have  not  “followed  on  tc 
know  the  Lord.”  You  are  not  living  in  His 
love.  You  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost  as 
your  Abiding  Comforter,  but  you  have  not 
been  drinking  in  His  joy  and  power.  You  are 
not  “filled  with  the  Spirit.”  What  do  you 
think  would  happen  to  a diver  who  under 
water  should  not  breathe  through  his  air  tube  ? 
Dear  friend,  you  are  spiritually  starving.  Your 
life  is  like  a bottle  corked  tight  in  the  ocean. 
All  around  is  the  limitless  sea,  yet  the  bottle  in- 
side is  empty  and  dry.  Spiritually  open  up  your 
whole  being  to  God.  Wait  upon  the  Lord. 
Study  the  Word.  Feed  upon  Christ.  Drink 
in  the  peace  and  rest,  the  joy  and  power  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  Learn  to  live  by  the  moment. 
Every  time  you  feel  spiritual  hunger,  feed 
upon  the  Living  Bread.  Every  time  you  feel 
spiritual  thirst,  drink  of  the  Living  Water. 
Thus  will  you  know  the  joys  of  fellowship 
with  Christ,  and  your  whole  life  will  be  kept 
fresh,  fragrant,  and  fruitful  in  the  fulness  of 
the  Spirit. 


Chapter  XI. 


THE  BROKEN  CIRCUIT. 

T cannot  be  too  strongly  empha- 
sized that  holiness  is  retained  only 
while  vital  contact  with  Christ 
is  maintained.  On  our  side  this 
Divine  contact  may  be  interrupted 
and  even  temporarily  broken. 
Now,  an  interrupted  or  broken 
circuit,  when  it  occurs,  always 
results  in  a darkening  of  the  spiritual  sky,  a 
loss  of  conscious  fellowship  with  Christ  and  a 
lack  of  real  victory  in  the  life.  This  experi- 
ence may  be  illustrated  from  electricity.  In 
order  to  make  a circuit  the  wires  from  the 
positive  and  negative  poles  of  a battery  must 
be  brought  together.  This  forms  the  contact, 
as  it  is  called;  and  upon  the  contact  depends 
the  electric  current.  Breaking  the  contact 
interrupts  or  destroys  the  current.  The  sep- 
aration of  the  wires  need  not  be  great — only 
just  so  that  they  do  not  touch.  In  like  manner, 
our  holiness  depends  upon  contact  with 
God ; and  anything  that  breaks  or  impairs  this 
vital  contact,  however  slight  it  may  be,  inter- 


The  Deeper  Life 


215 


rupts  our  communion  with  Christ  and  bring9 
defeat  instead  of  victory  into  our  lives. 

Now,  there  is  just  one  thing  and  one  thing 
only,  that  can  cause  an  interrupted  or  broken 
circuit  between  the  soul  and  Christ.  This  is 
sin.  Sin  breaks  the  contact.  But  let  it  be 
clearly  understood  that  when  we  say  that  sin 
breaks  the  contact,  we  refer  not  to  the  practice 
or  habit  of  sin,  but  to  the  commission  of  a 
single  and  solitary  act  of  sin.  It  is  true  that 
regeneration  destroys  the  love  of  sin  and  that 
sanctification  breaks  the  power  of  sin.  No  one 
who  has  been  truly  converted  and  received  the 
Holy  Ghost  can  possibly  thereafter  live  in  sin 
or  habitually  practice  sin.  This  is  the  clean 
teaching  of  I.  John  iii.  6,  9: 

“Whosoever  abideth  in  Him  sinneth  not ; 
whosoever  sinneth  hath  not  seen  Him,  neither 
known  Him.” 

“Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not  commit 
sin;  for  His  seed  remaineth  in  him ; and  he' 
cannot  sin;  because  he  is  born  of  God.” 

In  these  passages  the  italicized  verbs  are  in 
the  present  tense,  which  in  Greek  denotes  com 
tinuous  or  repeated  action.  In  each  instance 
the  expression  “practise  sin”  will  better  bring 
out  the  force  of  the  original.  Thus  we  may 
render  as  follows : “Whosoever  abideth  in  Him 


2 16 


The  Crisis  of 


practiseth  not  sin ; whosoever  practiseth  sin 
hath  not  seen  Him,  neither  known  Him.” 
Again:  "Whosoever  is  born  of  God  doth  not 
practise  sin ; for  His  seed  remaineth  in  him ; 
and  he  cannot  practise  sin ; because  he  is  born 
of  God.”  See  also  Galatians  v.  21,  where  the 
Greek  verb  translated  "do”  in  the  Authorized 
Version  is  rendered  "practise”  in  the  Revised 
Version. 

But  while  this  is  all  gloriously  true,  it  is  not 
true  that  a believer  can  ever  reach  a state 
of  grace,  where  it  is  not  possible  to  commit 
an  act  of  sin.  In  Galatians  vi.  1,  Paul  says: 

"Brethren  if  a man  be  overtaken  in  a fault 
(literally,  this  word  means  a falling  aside ; 
it  is  one  of  the  Scriptural  terms  for  sin),  ye 
which  are  spiritual  restore  such  an  one  in  the 
spirit  of  meekness;  considering  thyself  lest 
thou  also  be  tempted.”  Moreover,  in  I.  John  ii. 
1,  the  beloved  apostle  says: 

"My  little  children,  these  things  write  I 
unto  you  that  ye  sin  not.  And  if  any  man  sin. 
we  have  an  advocate  with  the  Father,  Jesus 
Christ  the  Righteous.” 

Here  the  italicized  verbs  are  not  in  the 
present  tense  but  in  the  aorist  tense,  which 
denotes  a single  and  solitary  act.  Yet  even 
such  an  experience  is  not  necessary,  for  the 


The  Deeper  Life 


217 


apostle  distinctly  states:  'These  things  write 

I unto  you  that  ye  sin  not” — that  is,  that  ye 
may  not  commit  even  an  act  of  sin.  Indeed; 
Jude  declares  that  God  is  "able  to  keep  you 
from  falling  (R.  V.  stumbling),  and  to  present 
you  faultless  before  the  presence  of  His  glory 
with  exceeding  joy.”  (Verse  24.) 

The  sin  that  interrupts  or  breaks  the  be- 
liever’s contact  with  Christ  may  be  occasioned 
in  various  ways.  It  may,  for  example,  be  due 
to  a failure  in  reckoning.  Because  of  fear 
of  the  shadow  of  the  past  or  because  of  the 
pressure  of  temptation  you  may  have  taken 
your  eyes  from  Christ  and  fallen  under  the 
power  of  the  old  life.  Again,  it  may  be  due 
to  unsteadfastness  in  abiding.  The  secret  of 
abiding  is  not  mastered  in  a moment ; and  you 
may  have  stumbled  or  fallen  in  honest  but 
mistaken  efforts  to  keep  Christ’s  command- 
ments and  live  in  His  love.  Still  again,  it  may 
have  resulted  from  disobedience  to  "the  still, 
small  voice.”  Perhaps  you  have  not  met  God 
squarely  in  some  of  His  dealings  with  you. 
You  have  not  kept  saying  "Yes”  to  Christ. 
You  have  not  been  careful  in  little  things 
always  to  "walk  in  the  Spirit.”  You  yourself, 
dear  friend,  know  just  what  happened ; or,  if 
you  do  not  know  and  will  be  honest  with  God, 


2l8 


The  Crisis  of 


He  will  show  you.  At  any  rate  your  contact 
with  God  has  in  some  way  been  broken.  You 
are  not  enjoying  conscious  fellowship  with 
Christ.  Your  spiritual  sky  is  overcast  with 
clouds.  You  are  not  in  victory.  And  the 
reason  is:  You  have  sinned . 

Two  grave  perils  that  should  be  avoided  be- 
set a soul  out  of  fellowship  with  Christ.  One 
is  the  temptation  to  discouragement  and 
despair.  The  other  is  the  unwillingness  to 
acknowledge  sin  and  even  the  attempt  to  evade 
and  ignore  it. 

On  the  one  hand,  discouragement  and 
despair  which  are  always  the  work  of  the 
enemy  expose  the  soul  to  fierce  temptations 
and  make  it  an  easy  prey  to  presumptuous 
sins.  Consequently,  if  you  have  a fall,  be- 
loved. do  not  allow  yourself  to  become  dis- 
couraged nor  plunged  in  despair.  The  fall 
is  indeed  sad,  but  it  is  not  hopeless.  There  is 
of  course  a prestige  that  comes  from  never 
losing  a battle;  but  the  loss  of  a battle  does 
not  necessarily  involve  the  loss  of  a campaign. 
Many  a campaign,  indeed,  has  been  lost,  yet 
a war  has  been  won.  Cheer  up,  then,  dear 
heart,  cheer  up!  Remember  that  on  God's 
side  the  contact  is  not  broken  ; He  still  holds 
you  safe  in  His  almighty  arms.  Moreover, 


The  Deeper  Life 


219 


nothing  can  separate  you  from  the  love  ot 
Christ.  And  the  blessed  Comforter  has  prom- 
ised to  abide  with  you  forever.  But  for  a 
moment  the  Lord  is  in  hiding.  Because  of 
your  sin  a cloud  has  come  between  you  and 
your  Saviour.  As  of  old  you  cannot  see  His 
blessed  face  nor  feel  the  thrill  of  His  radiant 
presence. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  unwillingness  to 
acknowledge  sin  and  the  attempt  either  to 
evade  or  ignore  it  is  even  a graver  peril  than 
the  temptation  to  discouragement  and  despair. 
Such  a dangerous  attitude  towards  sin  is 
the  result  either  of  the  deceptive  snare  of  Satan 
or  of  unscriptural  views  of  sanctification.  It 
is  one  of  the  devices  of  the  devil  to  try  to  blind 
us  to  the  “exceeding  sinfulness  of  sin.”  Again, 
those  who  believe  in  “sinless  perfection”  can 
never  of  course  consistently  admit  that  they 
can  commit  sin.  To  them  there  must  be  some 
other  explanation.  So,  what  the  Scriptures 
call  sin,  they  call  “an  error  of  judgment,”  “an 
innocent  mistake,”  “an  infirmity  of  temper,” 
“righteous  indignation,”  or  some  other  equally 
mild  and  delusive  term.  An  act  cannot  be 
wrong,  they  contend,  if  the  motive  which 
prompts  it  is  right.  Thus,  not  having,  in  their 
tview,  committed  sin,  they  have  no  confession 


220 


The  Crisis  of 


of  sin  to  make.  My  beloved  friend,  beware  of 
such  trifling  with  sin.  It  will  so  dull  your 
moral  sense  that  soon  you  will  not  be  able  to 
discriminate  between  right  and  wrong.  Sin  is 
a horrible  monster;  unless  confessed  and  par- 
doned, it  will  separate  the  soul  from  God. 
For  a time  indeed  you  may  have  a fancied  feel- 
ing of  security ; but  in  the  end  your  faith  will 
be  destroyed  and  you  yourself  plunged  into 
the  darkness  of  hopeless  ruin  and  utter  des- 
pair. 

Now,  there  is  one  and  only  one  remedy  for 
sin.  This  is  the  blood  of  Christ.  Consequently, 
there  is  one  and  but  one  way  in  which  an  in- 
terrupted or  broken  contact  with  Christ  can 
be  restored ; and  this  is  by  the  honest  confes- 
sion of  sin  and  its  complete  cleansing  by  the 
blood.  Beloved,  whenever  you  feel  yourself 
out  of  conscious  touch  with  Christ,  go  at  once 
to  the  blood.  Do  . not  lose  a moment.  Delay 
is  perilous.  Neither  attempt  to  justify  yourself 
nor  indulge  in  vain  regrets.  At  once  confess 
your  sin  to  God  and  seek  full  pardon  and  com- 
plete cleansing.  Keep  nothing  back;  make  a 
clean  breast  of  everything.  Call  sin  by  its  right 
name.  For  example,  if  you  have  manifested 
impatience  or  irritability  of  temper,  if  you  have 
given  way  to  anger,  jealousy,  or  any  other 


The  Deeper  Life  221 

form  of  passion,  do  not  call  it  nervousness  or 
peculiarity  of  temperament.  Own  up  squarely 
that  it  is  sin . Moreover,  if  you  have  wronged 
a brother  or  sisiter  in  Christ  apologize — make 
complete  reparation  and,  if  necessary,  full 
restitution  before  you  seek  pardon  and  cleans- 
ing from  God. 

If  in  this  way  you  will  meet  God  in  honest 
confession,  He  will  meet  you  in  complete 
cleansing.  His  promise  is: 

“If  we  confess  our  sins,  He  is  faithful  and 
just  to  forgive  us  our  sins,  and  to  cleanse  us 
from  all  unrighteousness.”  (I.  John  i.  9.) 

Thus  will  the  Lord  lift  the  burden  of  con- 
demnation, dispel  the  overhanging  clouds  of 
darkness,  bring  you  back  into  conscious  fel- 
lowship with  Himself,  and  restore  unto  you 
“the  joys  of  His  salvation.”  But  do  not  wait  for 
feeling.  Take  God  at  His  word.  Believe  that 
He  meets  you  in  complete  cleansing  and  in 
full  restoration.  Then  at  once  resume  your 
former  attitude  of  reckoning  and  take  your 
old  place  of  fellowship,  thus  learning  by  youf 
humbling  experience  to  listen  to  “the  still, 
small  voice”  and  to  “walk  in  the  Spirit,”  and 
trusting  the  Lord  more  fully  than  ever  to 
“keep  you  from  falling,  and  to  present  yov 


222 


The  Deeper  Life 


faultless  before  the  presence  of  Ilis  glory  with 
exceeding  joy.” 

“To  the  only  wise  God  our  Saviour,  be 
glory  and  majesty,  dominion  and  power,  both 
now  and  forever.  Amen.”  (Jude  24,  25.) 


Chapter  XII. 


THE  UPLOOK  AND  THE  OUTLOOK 

- ■ a holy  life  there  is  both  an  up- 

J j L look  and  an  outlook.  The  uplook 

ip  is  the  blessed  hope  of  Christ's  re- 
irif»  turn.  We  must  be  holy  to  meet 
wfT  the  Lord  in  the  air  and  to  re- 

ceive  the  reward  which  His  com- 
^ ing  will  bring.  The  outlook  is 

— J the  world- wide  harvest  field.  We 

are  saved  to  serve ; we  are  sanctified  to  minis- 
ter the  riches  of  Divine  grace  to  the  sinful 
and  needy. 

I.  The  Uplook. 

To  a holy  heart  is  vouchsafed  a heavenly 
vision.  Eyes  that  are  cleared  of  the  mists  of 
sin  behold  undimmed  the  face  of  the  Lord. 
Thus  Jesus  said : 

“Blessed  are  the  pure  in  heart;  for  they  shall 
see  God”  (Matthew  v.  8.) 

Again,  the  writer  of  the  epistle  to  the  He- 
brews says: 

“Follow  peace  with  all  men,  and  holiness , 
without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord” 
(xii.  14.) 

. Now,  the  personal  return  of  our  blessed 


224 


The  Crisis  of 


Lord  is  the  highest  incentive  to  a holy  life. 
In  I.  John  iii.  1-3  we  read: 

“Behold,  what  manner  of  love  the  Father 
hath  bestowed  upon  us,  that  we  should  be 
called  the  sons  of  God:  therefore  the  world 
knoweth  us  not,  because  it  knew  Him  not. 

“Beloved,  now  are  we  the  sons  of  God,  and 
it  doth  not  yet  appear  what  we  shall  be : but  we 
know  that,  when  He  shall  appear,  we  shall  be 
like  Him ; for  we  shall  see  Him  as  He  is. 

“And  every  man  that  hath  this  hope  in  him 
purffieth  himself , even  as  He  is  pure.” 

Among  the  children  of  God  there  is  a grow- 
ing belief  that  the  return  of  Christ  is  near  at 
hand.  The  exact  time  of  His  coming,  however, 
is  uncertain.  Nevertheless,  it  is  our  duty  to 
watch  for  the  appearing  of  Christ,  and  be 
ready  to  meet  Him,  when  He  comes  in  the 
air. 

The  story  is  told  of  a father,  who  once  went 
on  a journey,  leaving  word  with  his  family 
that  he  expected  to  return  by  a certain  train 
on  an  appointed  day.  When  the  day  arrived, 
the  mother  washed  and  dressed  the  children, 
and  sent  them  to  the  depot  to  meet  their  father. 
But  he  did  not  come.  So  the  following  day  the 
children  went  again,  and  the  next  day  after, 
and  still  the  next ; indeed,  they  continued  every 


The  Deeper  Life 


225 


day  to  meet  that  train,  until  at  last  the  father 
came.  One  good  effect  of  the  father’s  uncer- 
tain arrival  was  that  the  children  kept  clean. 

Beloved,  are  we  keeping  our  hearts  and  lives 
clean  in  daily  expectation  of  the  return  of  our 
Lord?  Some  day  we  shall  all  have  to  meet 
Christ  face  to  face.  And  the  momentous  ques- 
tion is : How  shall  we  meet  Him  ? Shall  it  be 
in  servile  fear  or  in  childlike  confidence  ? The 
beloved  apostle  exhorts  us: 

“And  now  little  children,  abide  in  Him ; 
that,  when  He  shall  appear,  we  may  have  con- 
fidence, and  not  be  ashamed  before  Him  at  His 
coming.”  (I.  John  ii.  28.) 

To  this  end  let  us  heed  the  solemn  warn- 
ing of  the  Saviour : 

“Watch  ye  therefore : for  ye  know  not  when 
the  Master  of  the  house  cometh,  at  even,  or 
at  midnight,  or  at  cockcrowing,  or  in  the 
morning : 

“Lest  coming  suddenly  He  finds  you  sleep- 
ing. 

“And  what  I say  unto  you,  I say  unto  all. 
Watch.”  (Mark  xiii.  35-37.) 

To  those  who  are  slothful  and  unprepared 
Christ  will  appear  as  a righteous  Judge;  but 
to  those  who  are  watchful  and  prepared  He 
will  appear  as  a Beloved  Friend. 


226 


The  Crisis  of 


But  the  personal  return  of  our  blessed  Lord 
is  also  the  truest  inspiration  of  a holy  life. 
In  II.  Peter  iii.  10-14,  we  read: 

“But  the  day  of  the  Lord  will  come  as  a 
thief  in  the  night;  in  the  which  the  heavens 
shall  pass  away  with  a great  noise,  and  the 
elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat,  the  earth 
also,  and  the  works  that  are  therein  shall  be 
burned  up. 

“Seeing  then  that  all  these  things  shall  be 
dissolved,  what  manner  of  persons  ought  ye 
to  be  in  all  holy  conversation  and  godliness, 
Looking  for  and  hasting  unto  the  coming  of 
the  day  of  God , wherein  the  heavens  being  on 
fire  shall  be  dissolved,  and  the  elements  shall 
melt  with  fervent  heat? 

“Nevertheless  we}  according  to  His  promise , 
look  for  new  heavens  and  a new  earth , where- 
in dwelleth  righteousness . 

“Wherefore,  beloved,  seeing  that  ye  look 
for  such  things,  be  diligent  that  ye  may  be 
found  of  Him  in  peace,  without  spot  and 
blameless.,, 

This  is  an  impressive  example  of  a class  of 
New  Testament  passages  which  represent  the 
personal  return  of  Christ  as  the  only  hope  of 
the  world  and  the  Church.  Morally,  the  world 
of  to-day  is  wabbling  in  its  orbit,  madly  plung- 


The  Deeper  Life 


227 


in g toward  despair  and  destruction.  Spiri- 
tually, the  professing  church  of  this  age,  in  the 
judgment  of  a writer  of  exceptional  spiritual 
discernment  and  wide  observation,  is  in  a state 
of  petrifaction  and  putrifaction — hardness 
and  rottenness.  The  alert  believer,  who 
accurately  reads  “the  signs  of  the  times, ” 
finds  little  encouragement  to  look  for  im- 
provement. Indeed,  the  only  hope  of  both 
the  Church  and  the  world  is  the  purify- 
ing fire  of  “the  day  of  the  Lord.”  According 
to  prophecy  this  dispensation  will  end  in  dis- 
solution and  destruction ; but  out  of  the  univer- 
sal wreck  “we,  according  to  His  promise,  look 
for  new  heavens  and  a new  earth,  wherein 
dwelleth  righteousness.”  This  millennial  age 
of  righteousness  and  peace  will  be  ushered  in 
by  the  personal  return  of  Christ.  Our  hope, 
therefore,  is  not  in  the  fading  present,  but  in 
the  radiant  future.  Indeed,  the  only  thing 
worth  living  for  is  the  coming  of  the  Lord. 

Some  years  ago  there  lived  a lad  in  one  of 
the  states  of  the  Central  West.  Thoughtful 
and  studious  by  nature,  yet  his  view  of  life 
was,  of  course,  bounded  by  the  mind  of  a boy. 
He  loved  the  games  and  gatherings  of  child- 
hood ; indeed,  the  anticipation  of  going  to  a 
birthday  surprise  party  would  give  him  pleas- 


228 


The  Crisis  of 


ure  for  many  a day.  But  the  lad  grew  and  his 
outlook  upon  life  widened.  Early  he  caught 
a vision  of  college ; and  he  thought  that  to  be 
a freshman  in  the  great  university  would  fill 
his  cup  of  joy  to  the  brim.  In  course  of  time 
the  youth  entered  college,  but  found  that  the 
delights  of  freshman  life  were  not  all  he  had 
dreamed.  Then  he  thought  that  the  height  of 
ambition  must  be  to  be  a senior  and  grad- 
uate with  honor  on  Commencement  Day.  In 
due  time,  indeed,  he  became  a senior,  and  in 
cap  and  gown  received  his  degree  with  honor 
amid  the  plaudits  of  fond  parents  and  admiring 
friends.  But  the  young  graduate’s  cup  of  joy 
was  not  full ; and  so  again  he  widened  the 
horizon  of  his  ambition.  He  then  decided 
that  the  supreme  goal  of  his  life  would  bfc 
reached,  if  he  should  go  through  a theological 
seminary,  become  pastor  of  a church,  and  be 
ordained  to  the  ministry.  All  this  ^ame  in  its 
time,  and  along  with  it  additional  academic 
honors  and  degrees.  When  at  last,  however, 
the  young  minister  stood  in  his  own  pulpit, 
and  faced  his  own  people,  he  again  found  that 
his  dream  was  unfulfilled;  he  realized  that 
his  heart  was  not  satisfied.  Yet  he  was  indeed 
devoutly  grateful  that  God  had  “counted  him 
faithful,  putting  him  into  the  ministry.,,  More- 


The  Deeper  Life 


229 


over,  he  did  esteem  it  the  most  exalted  privil- 
ege to  “preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ.”  But  he  had  not  found  the  supreme 
goal,  the  true  source  of  the  highest  inspira- 
tion and  the  deepest  satisfaction  of  Christian 
life  and  service.  The  thought  came  to  him  of 
attempting  to  build  up  a big  church,  of  striv- 
ing to  become  a great  preacher,  or  of  seeking 
to  win  distinction  in  scholarship: — but  none 
of  these  things  were  lofty  enough  and  endur- 
ing enough  to  fire  his  mind  and  stir  his  heart 
to  its  profoundest  depths.  In  fact,  he  had  no 
ideal  which  completely  satisfied  his  ambition 
and  which  was  thus  worth  living  for.  Finally, 
one  day  there  came  to  the  young  minister  the 
heavenly  uplook.  His  faith  caught  the  sublime 
vision  of  the  glorious  hope  of  Christ's  return. 
His  heart  was  filled  with  expectant  joy.  At 
last  his  early  dream  was  fully  realized.  At 
last  he  had  his  ideal.  At  last  he  had  found 
the  supreme  goal  of  Christian  service,  and 
the  true  source  of  the  highest  inspiration  and 
the  deepest  satisfaction  of  a holy  life.  Since 
that  memorable  day  he  has  taken  as  his  glow- 
ing watchword:  “Unto  the  coming  of  the 
Lord.” 

Beloved,  what  is  your  ideal  ? What  are  you 
living  for?  God  declares  that  He  has  set 


230 


The  Crisis  of 


eternity  in  our  hearts.  How,  then,  can  we 
ever  be  satisfied  with  the  pleasures  and  pur- 
suits of  time?  May  you  speedily  learn  that 
there  is  nothing  in  this  world  worth  living 
for.  May  God  give  you  the  heavenly  uplook. 
May  your  faith  catch  the  glorious  vision  of 
Christ’s  return.  May  you,  like  the  young 
minister,  find  “that  blessed  hope”  to  be  the 
supreme  goal  of  Christian  service  and  the 
true  source  of  the  highest  inspiration  and  the 
deepest  satisfaction  of  a holy  heart.  Indeed, 
over  your  whole  life  may  you  inscribe  the 
sublime  watchword:  “Looking  for  and  hast- 
ing  unto  the  coming  of  the  day  of  God.” 

II.  The  Outlook. 

Finally  and  briefly,  to  a holy  heart  there 
comes  an  outward  calling.  Eyes  that  have 
caught  the  heavenly  vision  are  open  to  the 
harvest  fields  of  the  world.  In  John  iv.  35, 
Christ  says: 

“Say  not  ye,  there  are  yet  four  months,  and 
then  cometh  harvest?  Behold,  I say  unto  you, 
Lift  up  your  eyes , and  look  on  the  fields;  for 
they  are  white  already  to  harvest.” 

Now,  holiness  means  separation  for  service . 
The  separation  is  unto  God ; but  the  service  is 
for  man.  Yet  all  service  for  man  is  of  course, 
also  service  for  God.  Therefore,  sanctification. 


The  Deeper  Life 


231 


while  a blessed  experience,  is  not  an  end  in 
itself ; it  is  rather  a glorious  means  to  a still 
more  glorious  end.  This  end  is  a life  of 
fruitful  and  abiding  service  alike  to  God  and 
man.  Indeed,  we  are  saved  to  serve;  we  are 
sanctified  to  minister  the  riches  of  Divine  grace 
to  the  sinful  and  needy. 

A holy  heart,  then,  will  be  an  unselfish  heart. 
It  will  not  live  for  itself,  but  will  expend  its 
consecrated  energies  in  ready  Service  and  in 
willing  sacrifice  for  others.  Again,  a holy 
heart  will  bear  fruit  unto  God.  Fruit  is  the 
result  of  the  incoming  of  the  Spirit  and  the 
indwelling  of  Christ.  It  manifests  itself  not 
only  in  active  ministry  but  also  in  passive  suf- 
fering. It  includes  graces  of  character  as 
well  as  records  of  achievement.  Finally,  a 
holy  heart  will  burn  with  missionary  fire.  It 
will  have  a passion  for  souls.  It  will  love 
the  lost  and  seek  to  win  them.  Moreover,  it 
will  be  pressed  in  spirit  towards  "the  regions 
beyond.” 

Beloved,  have  you  received  the  Holy  Ghost  ? 
Have  you  taken  Christ  to  be  your  sanctifica- 
tion? Have  you  had  a vision  of  the  world’s 
need  ? Has  there  come  to  you  the  outward 
calling?  If  so,  then  you  are  living  an  un- 
selfish life.  Then  you  are  bringing  forth  fruit 


The  Crisis  of 


232 

unto  God.  Then  you  are  burning  with  mis- 
sionary zeal.  If  so,  then  you  have  a passion 
for  souls.  Then  you  love  the  lost  and  are 
seeking  to  save  them.  Then  you  are  pressed 
in  spirit  towards  “the  regions  beyond.”  Sure- 
ly, you  will  go,  if  you  can.  Surely,  you  will 
give  what  you  can.  Surely,  you  will  pray  all 
you  can. 

“Also  I heard  the  voice  of  the  Lord,  say- 
ing, Whom  shall  I send,  and  who  will  go  for 
us  ? Then  said  I,  Here  am  I ; send  me.” 
(Isaiah  vi.  9.) 

“Upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  let  every 
one  of  you  lay  by  him  in  store,  as  God  hath 
prospered  him.*  * *”  (I.  Corinthians  xvi. 

2-) 

“Therefore  said  He  unto  them,  The  harvest 
truly  is  great,  but  the  labqyers  are  few:  pray 
ye  therefore  the  Lord  of  the  harvest,  that  He 
would  send  forth  laborers  into  His  harvest.” 
(Luke  x.  2.) 


BOOKS  ABOUT  YOUR  LIFE 

The  Course  of  Man's  Life. 

GOD'S  PILGRIMS  Philip  Mauro 

A book  on  the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews  in 
which  is  set  forth  the  pilgrim  character  of  God's 
people,  their  dangers,  their  resources,  and  their 
rewards.  Cloth,  $1.00;  Paper,  socts. 

Man's  Destiny. 

ENDLESS  BEINGS  J.  L.  Barlow 

The  subject  discussed  in  these  pages,  whether 
the  death  of  the  unbeliever  means  non-existence, 
is  one  of  profound  interest  and  wide  importance. 

Cloth,  85cts. 

God’s  Provision  for  Man. 

SAVED  AND  SEALED  M.  M.  Bales 

A book  for  both  saint  and  sinner,  telling  the 
story  of  salvation  simply  and  leading  the  Chris- 
tian on  to  a definite  full  surrender  to  God  and  the 
receiving  of  the  baptism  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 

Paper,  25cts. 

Man's  Great  Enemy. 

AN  ANGEL  OF  LIGHT 

Kenneth  Mackenzie 

In  this  scholarly  treatment  of  Satan,  as  he  ap- 
pears in  modern  cults,  there  is  brought  before 
the  reader  many  of  the  false  religions  of  the 
present  day  apostasy,  including  Theosophy, 
Christian  Science,  Spiritism,  and  New  Thought. 

Cloth,  $1.25. 

Man's  Friend  and  Guide. 

THE  STILL  SMALL  VOICE 

G.  P.  Pardington 

Rich  in  devotional  messages.  A series  of  help- 
ful talks  which  will  help  the  believer  to  enter 
into  a deeper  life  of  fellowship  and  communion 
with  his  Lord.  Cloth,  85cts. 

The  Christian  Alliance  Publishing  Co., 

3611  Fourteenth  Ave.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


BOOKS  THAT  WILL  HELP 

BETTER  THINGS 

J,  Gregory  Mantle 

A series  ot  Bible  studies  on  the  Epis- 
tles to  the  Hebrews  based  upon  the  key 
word  “Better”.  What  these  “Better 
Things”  are  is  revealed  by  the  chapter 
headings:  “The  Better  Revelation,”  “The 
Better  Messenger,”  “The  Better  Rest,” 
“The  Better  High  Priest,”  The  Better 
Covenant,”  “The  Better  Sacrifice;”  “The 
Better  Entrance,”  “The  Better  Country,” 
“The  Better  Discipline,”  “The  Better 
Fellowship,”  “The  Better  Service.” 

Cloth,  $1.25.  , 

UNTANGLING  LIVE  WIRES 

W.  W.  Newberry 

A book  of  warnings  written  for  the 
purpose  of  helping  earnest  Christians 
who  have  become  occupied  with  side  is- 
sues. It  deals  with  the  subject  of  divine 
guidance  through  many  puzzling 
problems.  Cloth,  Bscts ; Paper,  35cts. 

LIMITING  GOD 

D.  W.  Lelacheur 

A book  of  twelve  sermons,  dealing 
with  such  important  subjects  as:  The 

Holy  Spirit;  Jesus  in  the  Midst;  Divine 
Healing;  Tribulation;  A Gospel  witness 
to  all  Nations,  Etc.  Paper,  35cts. 

SPIRITUAL  UNDERSTANDING 

Adeline  Campbell 

A Scripture  study  of  the  subject  stated 
in  the  title — “It's  Nature.  Its  Need,  Its 
Goal,  Its  Source,  Its  Inspiration,  Its  Re- 
ception, Its  Fruit  Cloth,  75cts. 


The  Christian  Alliance  Publishing  Co. 

3611  Foarieenth  Ave.,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y. 


